Candy Fangs
by Backne
Summary: Marceline is in love with Princess Bubblegum. In fact, they used to date, before Bonnie dumped her for seemingly no reason, leaving the Vampire Queen with nothing but memories. How far will she go to regain the princess's affection? (MA version posted seperately)
1. Party Crasher

Disclaimer: Adventure Time is owned by Pendleton Ward. I make no profit from this story.

**Part 2**

**Candy Fangs**

_As they sat there at the edge of the lake, fishing poles in hand, Bubblegum staring into the murky water, it suddenly donned on Marceline why she had felt so strange in the other girl's presence as of late. For the first time in months, the realization that maybe she was starting to develop stronger, more intimate feelings for her friend actually made sense. She chanced another sidelong glance at the princess. She was nothing like the other people she had ever dated. She wasn't dark, undead or even dead, not a diehard musician or punk for the most part. Instead, she was a well-mannered, kind, intelligent princess, who enjoyed science. She couldn't be any more different from Ash, her last relationship, if she tried._

_She remembered the last time they had hung out together, when Bubblegum made a joke about how wild her hair was. In retaliation, Marceline had pounced on Bubblegum, knocking her down onto the bed, reaching out and sticking both hands in her gummy hair, screwing it up. Bubblegum laughed, swatting at her hands and kicking at her midsection when all of a sudden she turned the tables on her, tackling her into the mess of blankets on the bed. The two grappled for several moments, laughing all the while, rolling around and grabbing at each other's hands when Bubblegum managed to come out on top, Marceline's wrists pinned above her head. She lay there, completely still under Bubblegum, staring up into her dark eyes while the other girl grinned down at her triumphantly, her chest rising and falling rapidly, her hair a ruffled mess. The vampire swallowed hard as she stared up at her, hoping the other girl would get off of her soon, before she did something stupid. _

_Just as she was about to lift her head and close the distance between her lips and Bubblegum's, Peppermint Butler showed up, knocking on the door so that Bubblegum had to get up and answer it, leaving her friend alone on the bed. Marceline had gone completely limp then, closing her eyes tight and biting the inside of her cheek as she realized just how close she'd come to kissing her best friend. _

_Maybe she'd first realized her feelings that night when Bonnie sat down behind her, brushing her hair as they talked about nothing in particular. She found herself staring into the mirror in front of them, watching the beautiful candy girl go through the motions with the brush, even though she couldn't actually see herself due to the fact she was a vampire. She remembered that uncomfortably warm feeling bubbling in her belly like an pot left to boil over, stronger than ever, making her want to turn around and gather the princess up in her arms and never let go. It was then that Bubblegum's fingertips brushed against the back of her neck, leaving a tingling sensation in its wake. She felt her chest tighten up when Bubblegum brought up the time Ash sold Hambo to the witch, causing her to remember the way the princess had held her in her arms while she cried, threatening to send her guards out to arrest her ex-boyfriend on bogus charges. The rest of the night was spent struggling against the urge to cuddle with the princess while she slept, or sneak a kiss on the cheek. _

"…and drink the red from your pretty pink face," Marceline murmured, strumming her bass, producing a low, rich sound. She closed her eyes and leaned back as she floated a few inches above her couch, plucking familiar chords as she thought about the song she had sang to Bonnie during the door lord incident. She smiled to herself a little, staring out of her window absentmindedly when she spotted a little man with a cashew for a head venturing into her cave carrying a picnic basket. Setting her axe bass aside, she rose up into the air and opened her door just as the little man was about to knock.

"Good evening, Marceline the Vampire Queen, I come baring a gift from the Duke of Nuts!" He said pleasantly, extending the basket to her. She took it, flipping back the lid to reveal a sealed letter and a variety of red apples, cherries and strawberries.

"What's all this for?" She asked, taking out the envelope and ripping the seal, taking a moment to read what was inside. The little man giggled with excitement.

"The Duke has asked me to personally invite you to a party he is throwing tomorrow evening, given you will provide musical entertainment for his guests!" He said, to which the vampire blinked.

"It's a little short notice but… ah, whatever. Sure I'll go. So what's the occasion?" She asked, setting the basket down.

"It is a celebration for the betrothal of his eldest son, the Marquis of Nuts!" He said happily, to which the vampire nodded. Wasn't he a little young to be getting married? Mortals were always rushing into things…

"Cool, cool. Do I need to RSVP or something?" She asked, taking a cherry out of her gift basket.

"Consider this meeting the confirmation of your attendance." He said, staring to leave. He waved at her as he departed, which she returned before closing the door and carrying the basket into her kitchen.

"Looks like I need to come up with a song…" She murmured, setting the apples down on a shelf in her fridge and then dumping the rest in a drawer. She started humming a beat to herself, wandering off back to her bedroom, grabbing her journal and a pencil before returning to her living room. She floated an inch or two above the couch, trying to think of lyrics. It was surprisingly difficult to think of the right words, and she found herself becoming increasingly frustrated as she struggled for the right words, resulting in many wads of paper being tossed around the room. Happy songs had never been her forte, especially now that old wounds were opening up again with her ex and all.

"There. Good enough." She grumbled, looking down at her work.

_Hey there little nut_

_I heard you're getting married_

_Well let me tell you, it's just like being buried_

_Oh, let me tell you_

_It seems like just yesterday that you were playing_

_Just outside with your friends_

_Silly little nut_

_Love is for fools_

_Who follow all the rules_

_It's time to grow up_

_And out of silly little fantasies_

_Those silly little fantasies_

_Will give you nothing but sweet trouble_

_Sweet, sweet trouble_

_It'll come and go, floating in and out just like a bubble…_

She tossed the journal aside on the couch and flew up into the air, deciding she needed a break. Flying off in the direction of her bedroom, she donned her sunhat and gloves, venturing out of the cool, moist cave where she lived and out into the Land of Ooo. She flew over the ocean waters and onto dry land, floating through the Spooky Forest in search of the rickety old house where Wendy, Booboo and Georgy lived. She wrapped her knuckles against the old door once, causing the rotten old wood to cave in just a bit, a few tiny splinters embedding themselves under her grey skin. She growled in annoyance, bringing her hand up close to her face and picked the splinters out with her fingers before crossing her arms over her chest, foot wiggling in the air impatiently. Wendy phased through the door a few minutes later, looking ready to maim someone when she realized it was the vampire on the other side.

"Oh hey, Marceline, I haven't seen you in a while. Not since we pranked those two dweebs you hang with… so what's up?" She asked, a little surprised to see her. The vampire grunted in reply, causing the ghost to frown and raise one eyebrow. "Well… do you wanna come in or something and chill for a bit?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'd like that." She said, although you wouldn't have known by her tone, and opened the door, floating inside. "Where's Gregory and Booboo?" She asked, to which the ghost shrugged.

"I dunno, it's not like I babysit them." She said.

"Whatever." Marceline muttered, floating off in the direction of the living room and hovering over a torn up chair.

"What's eating you?" Wendy asked, a little annoyed with the vampire's aloof behavior, but Marceline didn't say anything.

"Look if your just gonna act like—hey, wait a minute. Is this about that candy girl, Bubblegum? I thought you guys broke up." She said, causing the vampire to stiffen, opening her mouth to deny it when the ghost let out a snort of disbelief. Was she really that easy to read?

"I told you, you should just let me and the guys go suck her brains out. Then she'd be out of your hair and- hah, bubblegum in your hair…" She paused to snicker at her own joke, "I mean, we'd get a meal out of it and you could even drink the red from her skin! But no, you gotta be all in love with her and junk." Marceline's expression soured further, her cheeks turning a little pink as the corners of her mouth pulled downward in an angry frown. She was quickly regretting her decision to see the ghost trio. Just as she was about to get up and leave, Georgy phased through the wall, scratching his pit.

"Are you guys talking about that pink chick Marce used to hang out with all the time?" He asked, seeming rather disinterested.

"They didn't just hang out, they _dated_." Wendy corrected with a sneer. The other ghost laughed.

"Oh yeah, I forgot Marce was a big fat lesbo." They both laughed as the vampire's cheeks burned brighter.

"_I am not a lesbo!_" The vampire hissed furiously, her hands bunched into fists. "Just because I date one girl does not mean-"

"Whatevs, Marceline. We all know you prefer innies to outties!" Wendy said, busting up laughing again, followed by Georgy.

"Hey, what's so funny?" Booboo asked, floating into the room from upstairs. The vampire changed into a werewolf, snarling angrily and lunging at Wendy, snapping her jaws. Despite already being dead, the ghost let out a squeal and flinched, throwing her arms up to protect herself.

"Screw you guys! I'm out of here!" She roared, turning and busting through the front door, causing it to fly off the hinges.

"Eh, she's only mad cuz it's true." She heard Wendy say, but she ignored it, storming off into the thick foliage of the forest. It would've been funny had anyone been around to witness a werewolf stomping about in a sunhat and gloves, which were now ripped a little around the fingertips due to her claws. Why had she even thought she could hang out with them in the first place? They were the type of friends you party or watch movies with, not the kind you actually talk to when you need someone to just listen. Not to mention that time when they tried to suck out Finn and Jake's brains, because that just wasn't cool. Now she understood what Bubblegum had meant when she said "they're not really your friends" all that time ago, back when she had first introduced them all. She flinched then, slamming her palm into her forehead as she caught herself thinking about her ex. Why couldn't she go just one day without thinking about her? Heck, just one lumpin' hour!

She needed to do something, see someone, that would take her mind off the candy princess for a while. But where to go, and who to hang out with? She had an abundance of acquaintances, but no one she really considered to be her friends, except for maybe the human and his dog. The two seemed to be rather partial to her, or at least Finn, considering they came around her house often enough without needing to be invited. Heck, sometimes they even asked her to come along with them on one of their stupid hero quests. She snickered when she remembered the time she thought Finn was asking her on a date, only to wind up going to some sappy romance flic that made them both sick to their stomachs. Oh the look on Bonnie's face when they set those wolves loose in her room...

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" She yelled. "Get. Out. Of. My. _HEAD_!"

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she looked up at the sky through the spaces between the leaves, realizing it was only midday and that the two were probably still out and about adventuring. There was no telling where they'd be, and she wasn't really in the mood to go wandering all over Ooo in search of them. Then again, she could just hang around for a while and wait for them to get back… She smiled at the thought, and flew up into the sky, transforming back to her normal self and flying in the direction of the tree house.

She was there in no time, floating up to one of the windows and popping it open, slipping inside with ease. Her attention was piqued when she heard someone singing, and it definitely wasn't Finn or Jake's voice. Floating through the tree house, she found herself outside the bathroom watching BMO as he stood on a stool in front of the mirror with a brush in his hand, swiping the bristles over the plastic of his face while he sang.

"Brushy, brushy, brush, just brush your face, brush your—Oh! What are you doing here?" He squeaked, waving the brush at her angrily.

"Hey, chill out lil dude! I'm just gonna chill here till Finn and Jake get back. You can go back to er, brushing your face or whatever you were doing." She said, hands raised as she fought back a laugh. He pouted at her and then turned to face the mirror again, going back to brushing his face, but staying quiet this time. Choking back a giggle, the vampire floated away, over to the couch. As she hovered there, she hummed to herself quietly, remembering the song she had written earlier that day. A little while later, BMO emerged from the bathroom, stopping right in front of her with a serious look on his little face, staring at her until she noticed him.

"Tell no one of what you saw on this day, you hear?" He asked, pointing a little plastic finger at her in a way that was probably supposed to be threatening. Marceline let out a little chuckle, raising on hand as if making an oath.

"Hey, what you do in your house is your biz. Who am I to judge?" She asked. Seeming satisfied with this answer, he dug out a controller from between the couch cushions and offered it to her.

"Want to play a game?" He asked, plugging the jack into himself.

"Sure!" She took the controller as the game started up, revealing a tiny pixelated man standing on a ledge. She played for a little while, BMO narrating her combos for her when suddenly the door to the tree house swung open and a tired looking Finn and Jake trudged inside. If it wasn't for the game's sound effects, they probably wouldn't have even noticed her.

"Oh, hey." Finn said tiredly, waving his hand at her. "Sup?"

"Oh, not much. Rough day?" She asked, setting the controller down, BMO's screen clearing as he turned to look at his friends. Jake went straight to the fridge, rummaging through drawers and shelves for something to eat.

"Yeah." Finn said, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Hey, you want some bologna?" Jake asked, glancing over at his friend and holding out a slice of lunch meat.

"Yeah, I'm starving." He said, taking it and cramming it in his mouth. "So uh, did you need something?" He asked, turning to the vampire. She pursed her lips, wondering if she should just go. They weren't going to be much fun if they were tired.

"No… I was just wondering if you guys wanted to… watch Heat Signature with me again. It was a really good movie and I wanted to watch it again, but I don't own it so… yeah." She said, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly.

"Oh, sure, do you wanna borrow it?" Jake asked, joining in the conversation, his eyes dull and glazed over with drowsiness.

"I would but my TV is broken so…" The two stared at her blankly for a minute, not following. "I could just go home I guess." She muttered, floating toward the door.

"You could watch it here, with us, if you want to." Jake said suddenly, surprising her. She paused with her hand on the doorknob, turning her face in the direction of the dog.

"Yeah, I mean, if it's cool with you guys and all..." She said.

"Just let me get something in my stomach and I'll put it on, k?" He said, and started rummaging through the fridge again. Finn sat down at the table, putting his head down while he waited on Jake to make the two of them something to eat, his eyelids fluttering as he started to nod off. He nearly jumped out of his skin when his friend set a plate down in front of him, before sluggishly picking up the sandwich and taking a bite out of the corner, his jaws working slowly like a cow chewing its cud. A few minutes later Jake had the movie playing, the two boys munching away while Marceline hovered over the couch.

About half way through, she happened to look back at them, realizing Finn had gone to bed and Jake was fast asleep at the table, his face mashed against his half eaten sandwich, mustard all over his cheek and jowls as he snored softly. For a moment, Marceline actually felt bad for how mean she'd been to him in the past, picking him up under his arm pits and carrying him to his bed, laying him down in his drawer and pulling his blanket up over him. A little smile tugged at his lips then as he wiggled himself into a more comfortable position, a tiny fart slipping out as he opened his eyes a crack, looking up at her before falling back asleep and snoring loudly.

She left long before the film was over, heading off in the direction of the candy kingdom in search of a certain pink princess. She flew up to her bedroom, surprised to find the window latched shut and curtains drawn. Frowning to herself, she wrapped on the glass with one hand, then paused to press her pointed ear against it and listen. But there was no movement inside, not even the sound of steady breathing or a faint heartbeat, aside from the little mouse that took up residence in a crack in Bubblegum's wall. The vampire floated backwards, crossing her arms over her chest as she thought about her options. Either go away, knock harder until someone heard, or go in search of the princess somewhere else… The last one seemed like the best option of the three, and so she flew off, circling around the castle to the lower levels, finding herself floating just outside the window of Bonnie's laboratory.

She watched for a few minutes as the princess methodically measured out a variety of fluids, from thin and runny to thick and viscous. The look of utter concentration that her ex wore was rather endearing, the way those delicate eyebrows fixed together, that little pink tongue just barely visible against her upper lip. She lifted two beakers, tilting the contents of one into the other oh so carefully, just a single blue drop hitting the surface of the yellow goo that the other beaker contained. For a moment, nothing happened, when suddenly there was a bright flash of purple light that blinded the vampire. She hissed and covered her eyes with one hand, blinking away the white spots glaring before her sensitive eyes to see a rather triumphant Bubblegum beaming down at the beaker in her left hand.

Seeing as the princess seemed to be happy, Marceline figured there was no better time to pop in. She pushed the window in from the outside, the hinges squeaking a little, alerting the princess to her intrusion, causing her to whirl around almost instantly. Her eyes were as wide as dinner plates as she hid the beakers behind her back, freeing up one hand and grappling about on the surface of her work counter in search of something sharp, as if readying for a fight.

"Whoa, whoa, Bonnie, relax!" The vampire said, raising her hands in defense. Upon hearing her voice, the princess visibly relaxed, the hand on the counter falling limply to her side as she let out a relieved sigh. She smiled to herself, letting out a little chuckle before her eyes lit up, her face absolute livid.

"Marceline, why are you here?!" She snapped angrily, suddenly suspicious again. She looked so tired, dark bags hanging under those pretty eyes, tiny lines etched into her normally supple face. The Vampire Queen paused a few feet away, arching one eyebrow and tilting her head a little.

"I just wanted to see you…" She admitted, starting to worry that last night had been a fluke. _Oh glob, please don't let it be a fluke… _"Why are you so defensive, anyway? What are you making, an atomic bomb?" She asked, craning her neck to try and get a better look at the beaker the princess was still holding behind her back.

"That's none of your business." The princess muttered, the tension in her shoulders letting up a little, as if she had convinced herself of something the vampire wasn't in on. "And you shouldn't sneak up on people like that! It's very improper…"

"When I have I ever been proper?" She retorted, rising higher into the air and floating closer. Not that she could understand all that super complicated science mumbo jumbo Bubblegum used spout, but she had a general understanding of the basics her ex had sometime outlined. After all, she was over a thousand years old, which left one with quite a bit of time for reading books.

But Bubblegum was already wrapping up her notes, tucking them away under her arm as she went about storing the various chemicals from her experiment. It took a little effort to stifle the pout that was threatening to pull at the corners of Marceline's mouth at having been shut out of something interesting. She was nosey by nature, and it was never fun being thwarted. But then again, spying on the Princess's brainiac experiments wasn't what she'd come for. Now what to say? She couldn't just dive headlong into the topic of last night….

"This isn't the appropriate setting for discussing private matters. Would you meet me in my bed chambers in a few moments?" Bubblegum asked suddenly, as if she had read the thought right out of her mind, half turning to look at the vampire.

"Yeah, sure." Marceline answered, and Bubblegum walked away, flicking the lights off and locking the door on her way out. The vampire flew away in the direction of the window, slipping through and closing it behind her before taking off to the princess's bedroom. She waited there for what felt to her like forever, the window still closed and curtains drawn, and even though she could easily have gotten in, she thought it was a better idea to stay outside and wait for an invitation. Just as she was beginning to think the princess had set her up, the curtains were drawn back and the window unlatched.

"Come in." The princess said, stepping back and walking off in the direction of her desk, sitting down and holding herself upright in what she must've thought was a regal manner. Instead, it looked rather pitiful, with how tired she looked, maybe even a little ridiculous considering she was dressed in a pink night gown with frills at the bottom. Yet Marceline found herself anxious inside, her stomach tying itself in knots, throat dry and sticky as she realized she was afraid of what might be said, when the princess opened her mouth and began talking.

"After last night… I started thinking about the circumstances in which I left you and..." She sighed deeply, taking off her glasses and setting them down. The vampire's jaw was clenched, her hands balled up into fists as she waited, the pause stretching on into infinity. "And I'm sorry. The manner in which I went about things, the way I've _been_ going about them, is not fair to you." The vampire stared at her with wide eyes. Did this mean they were…?

"I miss hanging out with you, Marce. I want us to be friends again. But I'm afraid that we can't be anything more than that. The problem is that no one can know about us seeing each other again, not even Peppermint… It's a matter of safety for both of us. I understand if that is too much to ask you of you…" She said, trailing off and looking to the vampire for an answer. But in truth, she really didn't know what to say or even what she should be feeling. Happy to be allowed in the princess's presence again, angry that she was going to be treated like a dirty little secret, or curious about what Bubblegum perceived to be threatening to the both of them.

"Safety?" She echoed, causing Bubblegum to shift a little, seeming a little uncomfortable.

"It's complicated, I'd much rather not discuss that…" She muttered, lowering her eyes.

"No, I want to know. Does this involve that thing you were working on in your lab earlier? If there's a chance someone's going to hurt one of us, I wanna-" She began, floating closer.

"Marceline, no. Please, just take my word for it. I am taking all the necessary precautions to avoid any such event from occurring." She said firmly, forcing her eyes to meet with crimson. The vampire was taken aback by the secrecy, although that was nothing new, come to think of it. Her girlfriend had always had a strange, secretive attitude when it came to some of her more serious research.

"Alright." Marceline said, forcing herself to drop the matter. She took a deep breath, facing the issue she had been hoping to avoid. "So what does this mean exactly? Do I have to slip into your room in the dead of night, just to come and talk to you?"

"Yes, unless I notify you to meet me at a different location." She answered simply, maintaining eye contact with her ex-girlfriend. They stared each other down for several moments, Marceline warring with herself over whether or not she should push the subject. But did it really matter? This was the closest she'd been the princess in so long, actually talking to one another, no dirty looks or cold remarks to turn her away. She could fight with her another day, but for now, she just wanted to savor the other girl's company. A little defeated, Marceline lowered herself to hover over the foot of the princess's bed.

"You look tired. You should get some sleep." She noted, her voice softer than before.

"Not while you're here. I'd like to at least make an attempt at being a hospitable hostess." A small smile formed across her face, touching her eyes just a little. It was so sweet that the vampire couldn't help but return it, exposing a few sharp teeth.

"Oh, darn it, I'm already messing it up. Would you like anything to drink or, er, drink?" She asked, sweeping her gummy hair back and to one side, exposing her throat to the vampire's line of vision. Marceline felt her stomach clench and had to fight the urge not to say _yes, just tilt your head back_.

"I'm fine." She answered, her voice a tad strained. "But even if you don't go to sleep, you should at least lie down." She patted the bed and averted her eyes for a moment, but didn't miss the longing look on the princess's face as she eyed the soft mattress.

"Well, if you insist." She murmured, and stood up, walking over to her bed and sitting down atop the blankets, pillows at her back. She fought back the urge to lay back, her eyes focused on the other girl floating a few feet away. A few moments of silence threatened to trick Bubblegum into closing her eyes, when suddenly the vampire spoke up.

"Did you know the Marquis of Nuts is getting married soon?" She asked, seemingly out of nowhere. Bubblegum blinked her eyes blearily, a frown turning the corners of her mouth downward.

"Yes, I did know." She admitted, not offering any more information on the topic.

"I got an invitation today. They want me to play a song for the party. I know you don't care for the Duke much, but I figured he probably sent you an invitation, too." Marceline said, her voice a little too soft for her liking.

"I did." Bubblegum confirmed.

"Are you going?"

"Yes, but purely for diplomatic purposes only." Marceline bit her lip, thinking back to what the princess had said about not associating in public.

"So does that mean that I can't talk to you while we're there?"

"Yes." The vampire lowered her eyes, her stomach cold on the inside. "I'm sorry, Marceline. If it's too much, I won't attend…" But she was shaking her head.

"No, go. It's no big deal. It can't be that hard not to talk to you, can it? You managed to ignore me for two years almost." She said, not noticing the pained expression that flickered across the princess's face. After that, there wasn't much left to say. There was no room in the thick air for mundane questions like 'so how was your day?'

This time the silence didn't recover itself, just hanging in the air like a suffocating blanket of tension. Bubblegum closed her eyes, pretending to sleep until the vampire left through her window and went home for the night. But once she was gone, the princess's eyes opened again as she rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling miserably, hating herself for hurting the vampire so much. Maybe it would have been worth it to continue her hateful charade, but then again, how could she? She had blown her cover with just two little words, and she'd known it too, as soon as they tumbled from her mouth. And yet she'd wanted to say them, to uplift months of guilt from her heavy conscience. Too bad it was just going to renew itself all over again with the new batch of pain she was going to bring onto her ex.

"I'm so sorry, Marceline." She breathed softly, willing her tired mind to shut down for the night and allow her some rest.

_Bubblegum was busying herself with putting up festive wall hangings, humming a song Marceline had sung to her last night, a little blush coloring her pink cheeks further as she recalled the words. She'd never been serenaded like that before, aside from maybe an awkward song or two sung by Cinnamon Bun after a long night of root beer consumption. But that didn't really count as far as she was concerned. The complete spontaneity combined with the timing had made for the most romantic scenario she could have imagined._

_She'd been sitting at her desk for hours, utterly frustrated as she busied herself with complicated equations in which to complete her elixir when she heard something low and lilting reach her ears from outside. Confused, she closed her notebook and hid it away in her desk, walking over to her window and opening it up. The rich sounds of a bass guitar reached her ears from below, causing her to look down in surprise, spotting the vampire floating upward toward her, hair pulled back into a loose pony tail, dressed in a sweater and ripped jeans as she strummed the strings of her bass and began to sing._

"_Oh Bonnibel, the sweetest candy princess around, won't you let me bury you in the ground, bury you with my sound, let me drink the red from that pretty pink face," She floated about level with the princess then, looking at the princess through thick black eyelashes. There was a pause in the lyrics as she continued with the instrumentals, allowing her a few moments to ready herself once more. But just as she was about to start singing again, the princess had her face trapped in between both hands, kissing her hungrily, her tongue delving into the vampire's mouth and making her moan as she was pulled inside the princess's room._

"_But the song's not over." She protested weakly, only to be silenced with another heated kiss. _

"_You can finish it after I'm done with you." She murmured, to which the vampire gladly set aside her bass, mewling as warm lips and teeth descended upon her throat._

_Bubblegum was startled out of here reverie as the ladder beneath her began to wobble to and fro, causing her to lose her balance. She felt her feet leave the tiny platform, her entire body falling backwards when suddenly two arms caught her, pulling her into a soft chest._

"_Sup?" The vampire smiled, a mischievous twinkle in her eye._

"_Did you bump the latter on purpose just to make me fall!?" She yelled, about to go off when the vampire started to snicker. She scowled at her as her heart rate calmed back down to its normal pace, when suddenly she started laughing too._

"_Relax, you know I'll always catch you when you fall." She said, smiling and looking at her through those thick eyelashes the exact same way she had the night before. Bubblegum returned her smile, her slender pink hand sliding into thick raven hair and scraping her nails lightly over her scalp the way she knew her girlfriend liked. Purring, Marceline lowered her head to kiss the princess's sweet mouth, forked tongue teasing the seam of her lips._

Somewhere in the deepest, darkest corner of Ooo, a lone figure stood slouched before his master, angry eyes downcast as enraged words filled the gloom of the cave.

"Imbecile! You said the vampire was taken care of!" The voice rang throughout the enclosed space, causing him to lower his head further.

"I know, master. I thought the problem had been taken care, but I underestimated the situation…" He began, frustrated.

"You should have killed her when you had the chance! Such mistakes will set us back!" Teeth ground against one another in an attempt to restrain himself, fighting back the anger boiling up inside him.

"Such tasks are difficult when trying to maintain a position of trust, master." He said softly.

"Leave me." The command was absolute, leaving no room for further discussion.

**A/N: Please R&R guys, it makes writing this stuff worthwhile. All the more incentive to keep updating. Remember to keep your eyes peeled for the uncensored chapters, cuz there's gonna be a link at the bottom of the next chapter. ;3**


	2. Invitation

Disclaimer: Adventure Time is owned my Pendleton Ward. I make no profit from this story.

**Part 2**

**Candy Fangs**

_As they sat there at the edge of the lake, fishing poles in hand, Bubblegum staring into the murky water, it suddenly donned on Marceline why she had felt so strange in the other girl's presence as of late. For the first time in months, the realization that maybe she was starting to develop stronger, more intimate feelings for her friend actually made sense. She chanced another sidelong glance at the princess. She was nothing like the other people she had ever dated. She wasn't dark, undead or even dead, not a diehard musician or punk for the most part. Instead, she was a well-mannered, kind, intelligent princess, who enjoyed science. She couldn't be any more different from Ash, her last relationship, if she tried._

_She remembered the last time they had hung out together, when Bubblegum made a joke about how wild her hair was. In retaliation, Marceline had pounced on Bubblegum, knocking her down onto the bed, reaching out and sticking both hands in her gummy hair, screwing it up. Bubblegum laughed, swatting at her hands and kicking at her midsection when all of a sudden she turned the tables on her, tackling her into the mess of blankets on the bed. The two grappled for several moments, laughing all the while, rolling around and grabbing at each other's hands when Bubblegum managed to come out on top, Marceline's wrists pinned above her head. She lay there, completely still under Bubblegum, staring up into her dark eyes while the other girl grinned down at her triumphantly, her chest rising and falling rapidly, her hair a ruffled mess. The vampire swallowed hard as she stared up at her, hoping the other girl would get off of her soon, before she did something stupid. _

_Just as she was about to lift her head and close the distance between her lips and Bubblegum's, Peppermint Butler showed up, knocking on the door so that Bubblegum had to get up and answer it, leaving her friend alone on the bed. Marceline had gone completely limp then, closing her eyes tight and biting the inside of her cheek as she realized just how close she'd come to kissing her best friend. _

_Maybe she'd first realized her feelings that night when Bonnie sat down behind her, brushing her hair as they talked about nothing in particular. She found herself staring into the mirror in front of them, watching the beautiful candy girl go through the motions with the brush, even though she couldn't actually see herself due to the fact she was a vampire. She remembered that uncomfortably warm feeling bubbling in her belly like an pot left to boil over, stronger than ever, making her want to turn around and gather the princess up in her arms and never let go. It was then that Bubblegum's fingertips brushed against the back of her neck, leaving a tingling sensation in its wake. She felt her chest tighten up when Bubblegum brought up the time Ash sold Hambo to the witch, causing her to remember the way the princess had held her in her arms while she cried, threatening to send her guards out to arrest her ex-boyfriend on bogus charges. The rest of the night was spent struggling against the urge to cuddle with the princess while she slept, or sneak a kiss on the cheek. _

"…and drink the red from your pretty pink face," Marceline murmured, strumming her bass, producing a low, rich sound. She closed her eyes and leaned back as she floated a few inches above her couch, plucking familiar chords as she thought about the song she had sang to Bonnie during the door lord incident. She smiled to herself a little, staring out of her window absentmindedly when she spotted a little man with a cashew for a head venturing into her cave carrying a picnic basket. Setting her axe bass aside, she rose up into the air and opened her door just as the little man was about to knock.

"Good evening, Marceline the Vampire Queen, I come baring a gift from the Duke of Nuts!" He said pleasantly, extending the basket to her. She took it, flipping back the lid to reveal a sealed letter and a variety of red apples, cherries and strawberries.

"What's all this for?" She asked, taking out the envelope and ripping the seal, taking a moment to read what was inside. The little man giggled with excitement.

"The Duke has asked me to personally invite you to a party he is throwing tomorrow evening, given you will provide musical entertainment for his guests!" He said, to which the vampire blinked.

"It's a little short notice but… ah, whatever. Sure I'll go. So what's the occasion?" She asked, setting the basket down.

"It is a celebration for the betrothal of his eldest son, the Marquis of Nuts!" He said happily, to which the vampire nodded. Wasn't he a little young to be getting married? Mortals were always rushing into things…

"Cool, cool. Do I need to RSVP or something?" She asked, taking a cherry out of her gift basket.

"Consider this meeting the confirmation of your attendance." He said, staring to leave. He waved at her as he departed, which she returned before closing the door and carrying the basket into her kitchen.

"Looks like I need to come up with a song…" She murmured, setting the apples down on a shelf in her fridge and then dumping the rest in a drawer. She started humming a beat to herself, wandering off back to her bedroom, grabbing her journal and a pencil before returning to her living room. She floated an inch or two above the couch, trying to think of lyrics. It was surprisingly difficult to think of the right words, and she found herself becoming increasingly frustrated as she struggled for the right words, resulting in many wads of paper being tossed around the room. Happy songs had never been her forte, especially now that old wounds were opening up again with her ex and all.

"There. Good enough." She grumbled, looking down at her work.

_Hey there little nut_

_I heard you're getting married_

_Well let me tell you, it's just like being buried_

_Oh, let me tell you_

_It seems like just yesterday that you were playing_

_Just outside with your friends_

_Silly little nut_

_Love is for fools_

_Who follow all the rules_

_It's time to grow up_

_And out of silly little fantasies_

_Those silly little fantasies_

_Will give you nothing but sweet trouble_

_Sweet, sweet trouble_

_It'll come and go, floating in and out just like a bubble…_

She tossed the journal aside on the couch and flew up into the air, deciding she needed a break. Flying off in the direction of her bedroom, she donned her sunhat and gloves, venturing out of the cool, moist cave where she lived and out into the Land of Ooo. She flew over the ocean waters and onto dry land, floating through the Spooky Forest in search of the rickety old house where Wendy, Booboo and Georgy lived. She wrapped her knuckles against the old door once, causing the rotten old wood to cave in just a bit, a few tiny splinters embedding themselves under her grey skin. She growled in annoyance, bringing her hand up close to her face and picked the splinters out with her fingers before crossing her arms over her chest, foot wiggling in the air impatiently. Wendy phased through the door a few minutes later, looking ready to maim someone when she realized it was the vampire on the other side.

"Oh hey, Marceline, I haven't seen you in a while. Not since we pranked those two dweebs you hang with… so what's up?" She asked, a little surprised to see her. The vampire grunted in reply, causing the ghost to frown and raise one eyebrow. "Well… do you wanna come in or something and chill for a bit?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'd like that." She said, although you wouldn't have known by her tone, and opened the door, floating inside. "Where's Gregory and Booboo?" She asked, to which the ghost shrugged.

"I dunno, it's not like I babysit them." She said.

"Whatever." Marceline muttered, floating off in the direction of the living room and hovering over a torn up chair.

"What's eating you?" Wendy asked, a little annoyed with the vampire's aloof behavior, but Marceline didn't say anything.

"Look if your just gonna act like—hey, wait a minute. Is this about that candy girl, Bubblegum? I thought you guys broke up." She said, causing the vampire to stiffen, opening her mouth to deny it when the ghost let out a snort of disbelief. Was she really that easy to read?

"I told you, you should just let me and the guys go suck her brains out. Then she'd be out of your hair and- hah, bubblegum in your hair…" She paused to snicker at her own joke, "I mean, we'd get a meal out of it and you could even drink the red from her skin! But no, you gotta be all in love with her and junk." Marceline's expression soured further, her cheeks turning a little pink as the corners of her mouth pulled downward in an angry frown. She was quickly regretting her decision to see the ghost trio. Just as she was about to get up and leave, Georgy phased through the wall, scratching his pit.

"Are you guys talking about that pink chick Marce used to hang out with all the time?" He asked, seeming rather disinterested.

"They didn't just hang out, they _dated_." Wendy corrected with a sneer. The other ghost laughed.

"Oh yeah, I forgot Marce was a big fat lesbo." They both laughed as the vampire's cheeks burned brighter.

"_I am not a lesbo!_" The vampire hissed furiously, her hands bunched into fists. "Just because I date one girl does not mean-"

"Whatevs, Marceline. We all know you prefer innies to outties!" Wendy said, busting up laughing again, followed by Georgy.

"Hey, what's so funny?" Booboo asked, floating into the room from upstairs. The vampire changed into a werewolf, snarling angrily and lunging at Wendy, snapping her jaws. Despite already being dead, the ghost let out a squeal and flinched, throwing her arms up to protect herself.

"Screw you guys! I'm out of here!" She roared, turning and busting through the front door, causing it to fly off the hinges.

"Eh, she's only mad cuz it's true." She heard Wendy say, but she ignored it, storming off into the thick foliage of the forest. It would've been funny had anyone been around to witness a werewolf stomping about in a sunhat and gloves, which were now ripped a little around the fingertips due to her claws. Why had she even thought she could hang out with them in the first place? They were the type of friends you party or watch movies with, not the kind you actually talk to when you need someone to just listen. Not to mention that time when they tried to suck out Finn and Jake's brains, because that just wasn't cool. Now she understood what Bubblegum had meant when she said "they're not really your friends" all that time ago, back when she had first introduced them all. She flinched then, slamming her palm into her forehead as she caught herself thinking about her ex. Why couldn't she go just one day without thinking about her? Heck, just one lumpin' hour!

She needed to do something, see someone, that would take her mind off the candy princess for a while. But where to go, and who to hang out with? She had an abundance of acquaintances, but no one she really considered to be her friends, except for maybe the human and his dog. The two seemed to be rather partial to her, or at least Finn, considering they came around her house often enough without needing to be invited. Heck, sometimes they even asked her to come along with them on one of their stupid hero quests. She snickered when she remembered the time she thought Finn was asking her on a date, only to wind up going to some sappy romance flic that made them both sick to their stomachs. Oh the look on Bonnie's face when they set those wolves loose in her room...

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" She yelled. "Get. Out. Of. My. _HEAD_!"

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she looked up at the sky through the spaces between the leaves, realizing it was only midday and that the two were probably still out and about adventuring. There was no telling where they'd be, and she wasn't really in the mood to go wandering all over Ooo in search of them. Then again, she could just hang around for a while and wait for them to get back… She smiled at the thought, and flew up into the sky, transforming back to her normal self and flying in the direction of the tree house.

She was there in no time, floating up to one of the windows and popping it open, slipping inside with ease. Her attention was piqued when she heard someone singing, and it definitely wasn't Finn or Jake's voice. Floating through the tree house, she found herself outside the bathroom watching BMO as he stood on a stool in front of the mirror with a brush in his hand, swiping the bristles over the plastic of his face while he sang.

"Brushy, brushy, brush, just brush your face, brush your—Oh! What are you doing here?" He squeaked, waving the brush at her angrily.

"Hey, chill out lil dude! I'm just gonna chill here till Finn and Jake get back. You can go back to er, brushing your face or whatever you were doing." She said, hands raised as she fought back a laugh. He pouted at her and then turned to face the mirror again, going back to brushing his face, but staying quiet this time. Choking back a giggle, the vampire floated away, over to the couch. As she hovered there, she hummed to herself quietly, remembering the song she had written earlier that day. A little while later, BMO emerged from the bathroom, stopping right in front of her with a serious look on his little face, staring at her until she noticed him.

"Tell no one of what you saw on this day, you hear?" He asked, pointing a little plastic finger at her in a way that was probably supposed to be threatening. Marceline let out a little chuckle, raising on hand as if making an oath.

"Hey, what you do in your house is your biz. Who am I to judge?" She asked. Seeming satisfied with this answer, he dug out a controller from between the couch cushions and offered it to her.

"Want to play a game?" He asked, plugging the jack into himself.

"Sure!" She took the controller as the game started up, revealing a tiny pixelated man standing on a ledge. She played for a little while, BMO narrating her combos for her when suddenly the door to the tree house swung open and a tired looking Finn and Jake trudged inside. If it wasn't for the game's sound effects, they probably wouldn't have even noticed her.

"Oh, hey." Finn said tiredly, waving his hand at her. "Sup?"

"Oh, not much. Rough day?" She asked, setting the controller down, BMO's screen clearing as he turned to look at his friends. Jake went straight to the fridge, rummaging through drawers and shelves for something to eat.

"Yeah." Finn said, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Hey, you want some bologna?" Jake asked, glancing over at his friend and holding out a slice of lunch meat.

"Yeah, I'm starving." He said, taking it and cramming it in his mouth. "So uh, did you need something?" He asked, turning to the vampire. She pursed her lips, wondering if she should just go. They weren't going to be much fun if they were tired.

"No… I was just wondering if you guys wanted to… watch Heat Signature with me again. It was a really good movie and I wanted to watch it again, but I don't own it so… yeah." She said, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly.

"Oh, sure, do you wanna borrow it?" Jake asked, joining in the conversation, his eyes dull and glazed over with drowsiness.

"I would but my TV is broken so…" The two stared at her blankly for a minute, not following. "I could just go home I guess." She muttered, floating toward the door.

"You could watch it here, with us, if you want to." Jake said suddenly, surprising her. She paused with her hand on the doorknob, turning her face in the direction of the dog.

"Yeah, I mean, if it's cool with you guys and all..." She said.

"Just let me get something in my stomach and I'll put it on, k?" He said, and started rummaging through the fridge again. Finn sat down at the table, putting his head down while he waited on Jake to make the two of them something to eat, his eyelids fluttering as he started to nod off. He nearly jumped out of his skin when his friend set a plate down in front of him, before sluggishly picking up the sandwich and taking a bite out of the corner, his jaws working slowly like a cow chewing its cud. A few minutes later Jake had the movie playing, the two boys munching away while Marceline hovered over the couch.

About half way through, she happened to look back at them, realizing Finn had gone to bed and Jake was fast asleep at the table, his face mashed against his half eaten sandwich, mustard all over his cheek and jowls as he snored softly. For a moment, Marceline actually felt bad for how mean she'd been to him in the past, picking him up under his arm pits and carrying him to his bed, laying him down in his drawer and pulling his blanket up over him. A little smile tugged at his lips then as he wiggled himself into a more comfortable position, a tiny fart slipping out as he opened his eyes a crack, looking up at her before falling back asleep and snoring loudly.

She left long before the film was over, heading off in the direction of the candy kingdom in search of a certain pink princess. She flew up to her bedroom, surprised to find the window latched shut and curtains drawn. Frowning to herself, she wrapped on the glass with one hand, then paused to press her pointed ear against it and listen. But there was no movement inside, not even the sound of steady breathing or a faint heartbeat, aside from the little mouse that took up residence in a crack in Bubblegum's wall. The vampire floated backwards, crossing her arms over her chest as she thought about her options. Either go away, knock harder until someone heard, or go in search of the princess somewhere else… The last one seemed like the best option of the three, and so she flew off, circling around the castle to the lower levels, finding herself floating just outside the window of Bonnie's laboratory.

She watched for a few minutes as the princess methodically measured out a variety of fluids, from thin and runny to thick and viscous. The look of utter concentration that her ex wore was rather endearing, the way those delicate eyebrows fixed together, that little pink tongue just barely visible against her upper lip. She lifted two beakers, tilting the contents of one into the other oh so carefully, just a single blue drop hitting the surface of the yellow goo that the other beaker contained. For a moment, nothing happened, when suddenly there was a bright flash of purple light that blinded the vampire. She hissed and covered her eyes with one hand, blinking away the white spots glaring before her sensitive eyes to see a rather triumphant Bubblegum beaming down at the beaker in her left hand.

Seeing as the princess seemed to be happy, Marceline figured there was no better time to pop in. She pushed the window in from the outside, the hinges squeaking a little, alerting the princess to her intrusion, causing her to whirl around almost instantly. Her eyes were as wide as dinner plates as she hid the beakers behind her back, freeing up one hand and grappling about on the surface of her work counter in search of something sharp, as if readying for a fight.

"Whoa, whoa, Bonnie, relax!" The vampire said, raising her hands in defense. Upon hearing her voice, the princess visibly relaxed, the hand on the counter falling limply to her side as she let out a relieved sigh. She smiled to herself, letting out a little chuckle before her eyes lit up, her face absolute livid.

"Marceline, why are you here?!" She snapped angrily, suddenly suspicious again. She looked so tired, dark bags hanging under those pretty eyes, tiny lines etched into her normally supple face. The Vampire Queen paused a few feet away, arching one eyebrow and tilting her head a little.

"I just wanted to see you…" She admitted, starting to worry that last night had been a fluke. _Oh glob, please don't let it be a fluke… _"Why are you so defensive, anyway? What are you making, an atomic bomb?" She asked, craning her neck to try and get a better look at the beaker the princess was still holding behind her back.

"That's none of your business." The princess muttered, the tension in her shoulders letting up a little, as if she had convinced herself of something the vampire wasn't in on. "And you shouldn't sneak up on people like that! It's very improper…"

"When I have I ever been proper?" She retorted, rising higher into the air and floating closer. Not that she could understand all that super complicated science mumbo jumbo Bubblegum used spout, but she had a general understanding of the basics her ex had sometime outlined. After all, she was over a thousand years old, which left one with quite a bit of time for reading books.

But Bubblegum was already wrapping up her notes, tucking them away under her arm as she went about storing the various chemicals from her experiment. It took a little effort to stifle the pout that was threatening to pull at the corners of Marceline's mouth at having been shut out of something interesting. She was nosey by nature, and it was never fun being thwarted. But then again, spying on the Princess's brainiac experiments wasn't what she'd come for. Now what to say? She couldn't just dive headlong into the topic of last night….

"This isn't the appropriate setting for discussing private matters. Would you meet me in my bed chambers in a few moments?" Bubblegum asked suddenly, as if she had read the thought right out of her mind, half turning to look at the vampire.

"Yeah, sure." Marceline answered, and Bubblegum walked away, flicking the lights off and locking the door on her way out. The vampire flew away in the direction of the window, slipping through and closing it behind her before taking off to the princess's bedroom. She waited there for what felt to her like forever, the window still closed and curtains drawn, and even though she could easily have gotten in, she thought it was a better idea to stay outside and wait for an invitation. Just as she was beginning to think the princess had set her up, the curtains were drawn back and the window unlatched.

"Come in." The princess said, stepping back and walking off in the direction of her desk, sitting down and holding herself upright in what she must've thought was a regal manner. Instead, it looked rather pitiful, with how tired she looked, maybe even a little ridiculous considering she was dressed in a pink night gown with frills at the bottom. Yet Marceline found herself anxious inside, her stomach tying itself in knots, throat dry and sticky as she realized she was afraid of what might be said, when the princess opened her mouth and began talking.

"After last night… I started thinking about the circumstances in which I left you and..." She sighed deeply, taking off her glasses and setting them down. The vampire's jaw was clenched, her hands balled up into fists as she waited, the pause stretching on into infinity. "And I'm sorry. The manner in which I went about things, the way I've _been_ going about them, is not fair to you." The vampire stared at her with wide eyes. Did this mean they were…?

"I miss hanging out with you, Marce. I want us to be friends again. But I'm afraid that we can't be anything more than that. The problem is that no one can know about us seeing each other again, not even Peppermint… It's a matter of safety for both of us. I understand if that is too much to ask you of you…" She said, trailing off and looking to the vampire for an answer. But in truth, she really didn't know what to say or even what she should be feeling. Happy to be allowed in the princess's presence again, angry that she was going to be treated like a dirty little secret, or curious about what Bubblegum perceived to be threatening to the both of them.

"Safety?" She echoed, causing Bubblegum to shift a little, seeming a little uncomfortable.

"It's complicated, I'd much rather not discuss that…" She muttered, lowering her eyes.

"No, I want to know. Does this involve that thing you were working on in your lab earlier? If there's a chance someone's going to hurt one of us, I wanna-" She began, floating closer.

"Marceline, no. Please, just take my word for it. I am taking all the necessary precautions to avoid any such event from occurring." She said firmly, forcing her eyes to meet with crimson. The vampire was taken aback by the secrecy, although that was nothing new, come to think of it. Her girlfriend had always had a strange, secretive attitude when it came to some of her more serious research.

"Alright." Marceline said, forcing herself to drop the matter. She took a deep breath, facing the issue she had been hoping to avoid. "So what does this mean exactly? Do I have to slip into your room in the dead of night, just to come and talk to you?"

"Yes, unless I notify you to meet me at a different location." She answered simply, maintaining eye contact with her ex-girlfriend. They stared each other down for several moments, Marceline warring with herself over whether or not she should push the subject. But did it really matter? This was the closest she'd been the princess in so long, actually talking to one another, no dirty looks or cold remarks to turn her away. She could fight with her another day, but for now, she just wanted to savor the other girl's company. A little defeated, Marceline lowered herself to hover over the foot of the princess's bed.

"You look tired. You should get some sleep." She noted, her voice softer than before.

"Not while you're here. I'd like to at least make an attempt at being a hospitable hostess." A small smile formed across her face, touching her eyes just a little. It was so sweet that the vampire couldn't help but return it, exposing a few sharp teeth.

"Oh, darn it, I'm already messing it up. Would you like anything to drink or, er, drink?" She asked, sweeping her gummy hair back and to one side, exposing her throat to the vampire's line of vision. Marceline felt her stomach clench and had to fight the urge not to say _yes, just tilt your head back_.

"I'm fine." She answered, her voice a tad strained. "But even if you don't go to sleep, you should at least lie down." She patted the bed and averted her eyes for a moment, but didn't miss the longing look on the princess's face as she eyed the soft mattress.

"Well, if you insist." She murmured, and stood up, walking over to her bed and sitting down atop the blankets, pillows at her back. She fought back the urge to lay back, her eyes focused on the other girl floating a few feet away. A few moments of silence threatened to trick Bubblegum into closing her eyes, when suddenly the vampire spoke up.

"Did you know the Marquis of Nuts is getting married soon?" She asked, seemingly out of nowhere. Bubblegum blinked her eyes blearily, a frown turning the corners of her mouth downward.

"Yes, I did know." She admitted, not offering any more information on the topic.

"I got an invitation today. They want me to play a song for the party. I know you don't care for the Duke much, but I figured he probably sent you an invitation, too." Marceline said, her voice a little too soft for her liking.

"I did." Bubblegum confirmed.

"Are you going?"

"Yes, but purely for diplomatic purposes only." Marceline bit her lip, thinking back to what the princess had said about not associating in public.

"So does that mean that I can't talk to you while we're there?"

"Yes." The vampire lowered her eyes, her stomach cold on the inside. "I'm sorry, Marceline. If it's too much, I won't attend…" But she was shaking her head.

"No, go. It's no big deal. It can't be that hard not to talk to you, can it? You managed to ignore me for two years almost." She said, not noticing the pained expression that flickered across the princess's face. After that, there wasn't much left to say. There was no room in the thick air for mundane questions like 'so how was your day?'

This time the silence didn't recover itself, just hanging in the air like a suffocating blanket of tension. Bubblegum closed her eyes, pretending to sleep until the vampire left through her window and went home for the night. But once she was gone, the princess's eyes opened again as she rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling miserably, hating herself for hurting the vampire so much. Maybe it would have been worth it to continue her hateful charade, but then again, how could she? She had blown her cover with just two little words, and she'd known it too, as soon as they tumbled from her mouth. And yet she'd wanted to say them, to uplift months of guilt from her heavy conscience. Too bad it was just going to renew itself all over again with the new batch of pain she was going to bring onto her ex.

"I'm so sorry, Marceline." She breathed softly, willing her tired mind to shut down for the night and allow her some rest.

_Bubblegum was busying herself with putting up festive wall hangings, humming a song Marceline had sung to her last night, a little blush coloring her pink cheeks further as she recalled the words. She'd never been serenaded like that before, aside from maybe an awkward song or two sung by Cinnamon Bun after a long night of root beer consumption. But that didn't really count as far as she was concerned. The complete spontaneity combined with the timing had made for the most romantic scenario she could have imagined._

_She'd been sitting at her desk for hours, utterly frustrated as she busied herself with complicated equations in which to complete her elixir when she heard something low and lilting reach her ears from outside. Confused, she closed her notebook and hid it away in her desk, walking over to her window and opening it up. The rich sounds of a bass guitar reached her ears from below, causing her to look down in surprise, spotting the vampire floating upward toward her, hair pulled back into a loose pony tail, dressed in a sweater and ripped jeans as she strummed the strings of her bass and began to sing._

"_Oh Bonnibel, the sweetest candy princess around, won't you let me bury you in the ground, bury you with my sound, let me drink the red from that pretty pink face," She floated about level with the princess then, looking at the princess through thick black eyelashes. There was a pause in the lyrics as she continued with the instrumentals, allowing her a few moments to ready herself once more. But just as she was about to start singing again, the princess had her face trapped in between both hands, kissing her hungrily, her tongue delving into the vampire's mouth and making her moan as she was pulled inside the princess's room._

"_But the song's not over." She protested weakly, only to be silenced with another heated kiss. _

"_You can finish it after I'm done with you." She murmured, to which the vampire gladly set aside her bass, mewling as warm lips and teeth descended upon her throat._

_Bubblegum was startled out of here reverie as the ladder beneath her began to wobble to and fro, causing her to lose her balance. She felt her feet leave the tiny platform, her entire body falling backwards when suddenly two arms caught her, pulling her into a soft chest._

"_Sup?" The vampire smiled, a mischievous twinkle in her eye._

"_Did you bump the latter on purpose just to make me fall!?" She yelled, about to go off when the vampire started to snicker. She scowled at her as her heart rate calmed back down to its normal pace, when suddenly she started laughing too._

"_Relax, you know I'll always catch you when you fall." She said, smiling and looking at her through those thick eyelashes the exact same way she had the night before. Bubblegum returned her smile, her slender pink hand sliding into thick raven hair and scraping her nails lightly over her scalp the way she knew her girlfriend liked. Purring, Marceline lowered her head to kiss the princess's sweet mouth, forked tongue teasing the seam of her lips._

Somewhere in the deepest, darkest corner of Ooo, a lone figure stood slouched before his master, angry eyes downcast as enraged words filled the gloom of the cave.

"Imbecile! You said the vampire was taken care of!" The voice rang throughout the enclosed space, causing him to lower his head further.

"I know, master. I thought the problem had been taken care, but I underestimated the situation…" He began, frustrated.

"You should have killed her when you had the chance! Such mistakes will set us back!" Teeth ground against one another in an attempt to restrain himself, fighting back the anger boiling up inside him.

"Such tasks are difficult when trying to maintain a position of trust, master." He said softly.

"Leave me." The command was absolute, leaving no room for further discussion.

**A/N: Please R&R guys, it makes writing this stuff worthwhile. All the more incentive to keep updating. Remember to keep your eyes peeled for the uncensored chapters, cuz there's gonna be a link at the bottom of the next chapter. ;3**


	3. Nutty

Disclaimer: Adventure Time is owned by Pendleton Ward. I make no profit from this story.

**Part 3**

**Candy Fangs**

_It was LSP's birthday and everyone was dressed up for the masquerade theme, for fear of facing the bratty princess's wrath if they dared to come dressed otherwise. Bubblegum herself was wearing a long, elegant pastel pink dress in which her back was left exposed, a glittering white mask with swan wings fanning out to the sides, obscuring the upper half of her face as she looked around for her girlfriend, who had promised to show up but was nowhere in sight. She found herself somewhere between worried and frustrated, because one of LSP's annoyingly arrogant cousins was eyeballing her from across the room, edging closer and closer by the second. _

_She looked around, hoping to find the vampire when she felt a cool breeze tickling the back of her neck, which didn't make any sense because they were indoors, in space and… She turned around to the see the vampire smiling at her, wearing white dress pants, a button down shirt with a ruffled cravat and a red petticoat, as well as a black mask with bat wings at the edges hiding the upper half of her pale face. She smiled devilishly, showing off her sharp teeth and fangs as she took Bubblegum's right hand and bowed, kissing each knuckle delicately. Bubblegum brought her other hand up to her mouth to hide the flattered smile that threatened to break across her face, her cheeks lighting up as a girlish giggle escaped from her throat._

"_May I have this dance, milady?" Marceline asked, crimson eyes flashing behind the mask. _

"_Absolutely." Bubblegum answered, and the vampire straightened, taking a step forward and pulling the princess against her lithe frame. One slim hand came to rest on her trim waist, long fingers touching the small of her back while the other raised their interlaced fingers to shoulder height. Smiling and closing her eyes, the princess rested her cheek against the taller girl's shoulder as they began to dance, breathing in the smell of her skin. _

"_You can be such a gentleman when you want be." Bubblegum said as she rested her free hand over the vampire's shoulder, able to feel the Vampire Queen's chuckle vibrating against her cheek._

"_So I'm a gentleman, am I?" Her words were laced with amusement. _

"_You always say that you wear the pants in this relationship. What took you so long, anyway?" She asked suddenly, frowning a little._

"_A vampire never arrives to a party early." Marceline said, her voice smug._

"_You're over twenty minutes late!" Bubblegum huffed, a pout causing her bottom lip to stick out a little bit._

"_And I would've been later, too, but I didn't like the way that guy was looking at you." She muttered, glancing back and catching a glimpse of LSP's cousin. Bubblegum made a face._

"_I know, he gives me the creeps. I'm quite glad you got here when you did. I was actually afraid he was going to ask me to dance if you took any longer." She muttered, shuddering a little. _

"_No worries babe, I wouldn't have let that happen. I was watching the whole time, up from the ceiling." _

"_You what?" Bubblegum jerked her head up, about to go off when she was cut short._

"_Oh. My. Glob! Are you guys, like, dating? Oh my glob, you are! It all makes sense now!" Bubblegum whipped her head around, startled by the sudden, rather loud outburst. Marceline didn't let go of her, but merely stared at the floating purple sack of lumps with a mildly annoyed look on face. Bubblegum's cheeks stained bright red, LSP floating about a foot away from them, her hands squishing her face between them as her mouth hung wide open in shock. Several people had turned to look, some completely disinterested while others gaped openly. _

"_Way to note the obvious, Lumpy Space Butt." Marceline grumbled, glaring at the other girl. _

"_Well, yes. We are." Bubblegum said, ignoring her girlfriend's comment. The other princess just smirked, forgetting about the snarky, dimwitted comeback she had just come up with. Marceline blinked her eyes in surprise, a bit of pink rising to her own cheeks as she looked down at the pink girl in surprise. She never would've thought the other girl would be so… open. Smiling, she kissed her forehead, causing the space princess to snort loudly and roll her eyes, putting one chubby hand in their faces._

"_Gosh guys, get a room, sheesh!" she said, raising one hand, about to float off when her cousin came up beside her. _

"_Lesbian, eh? I can fix that." He grinned cockily, coming up behind Bubblegum and grabbing a handful of her right butt cheek. The princess gasped, her expression becoming angry as she turned to give him a piece of mind when suddenly Marceline dove at him, her body morphing into a werewolf and ripping her nice clothes a bit around the seams. Her lips peeled back over long, sharp fangs, ears laid back as she snapped her jaws shut around the lumpy space guy's midsection, slinging her head around viciously as screams erupted all around them. Just as she dropped him, going in for another bite around his face, arms caught her under her pits and hauled her backwards._

"_Marceline, stop it! Stop it right now!" Bubblegum was yelling as the vampire snarled furiously, trying to pull away. _

"_Get that thing away from me!" The lumpy space person screamed, his arms flailing wildly, several punctures in his lumps plainly visible. Marceline blinked, the red haze clouding her vision clearing away as she realized what she'd done. Huffing angrily, she flipped a stray lock of hair back out of her eyes as Bubblegum grabbed her arm and drug her away, the party guests parting for them. Marceline kept her eyes locked on the lumpy guy, eyes narrowed as she opened her mouth and hissed like a snake, glaring until all the partygoers disappeared from her line of vision as she was led around a corner._

"_How could you even…? Why did you-? You're unbelievable!" Bubblegum said, waving her hands around, so angry she could hardly find the right words to express it. The vampire stared at her in disbelief._

"_You're mad at me? That guy grabbed your butt, Bonnie! He disrespected you right in front of all those people!" She all but shrieked, about to transform again. _

"_I could've handled it on my own, in a mature and professional way, Marceline!" She snapped. "Grow up for once!" _

"_But…But…" The vampire stared at her, at a loss for words before her expression utterly indignant. "Bonnie, where I come from respect is everything. If someone disrespects you, you put them in their place. And if you won't do that, then I will." She growled, their faces barely an inch apart. Bubblegum heaved a heavy sigh, resting her forehead in her hand and shaking her head from side to side._

"_Marceline… This isn't a gang." Bubblegum said slowly, dark eyes meeting crimson. The vampire frowned, crossing her arms over her chest._

"_Yeah, I know." She grumbled. "But I don't care. Bottom line, no one disrespects my girl and gets away with it. Ever." A blush was rising in her cheeks as she averted her gaze, her expression going from angry to pouty. She looked up in surprise when she heard a small laugh, two hands coming up to cup her face between them, the princess pressing a soft kiss to her lips._

"_My hero." She said, resting her forehead to the vampire's. "Should I reward you for defending my honor so avidly?"_

Evening was fast approaching and Marceline was busying herself with getting ready for the Marquis of Nuts' royal celebration. She'd gone over the lyrics of her song several times over, memorizing them forward and backward, the chords fresh in her mind and ready to play. She spent her time brushing a few tangles out of her wild ebony mane, then picked out her favorite dress and strapped her axe bass over one shoulder, all ready. She felt so anxious, her skin crawling with nerves, but it wasn't the gig that had her so preoccupied, it was the princess. There was a streak of anger wriggling around amongst her uneasy nerves, threatening to lash out as she reminded herself she wasn't allowed to communicate with her ex.

Ready to rock and roll, she turned out the lights in her house and flew to the mouth of her cave, pausing just outside the reach of the sun's dying rays as it set low on the horizon. The moon's rays grew brighter once its flaming counterpart was gone, seeming to smile down on the vampire, as if to encourage her as she took a deep breath of the fresh night air. _You can do this, _she told herself, _piece of cake._ She rose up into the sky and flew off in the direction of for the Duchy of Nuts, arriving fashionably late, waving at Lisby, who was inviting people inside at the front door. He waved back, welcoming her inside enthusiastically.

"Help yourself to any of the refreshments, Marceline! We have punch and chocolate dipped strawberries, just help yourself! You can uh, peel the chocolate off." He said excitedly before running off to alert the Duke of her arrival. With that done, she turned to survey her surroundings, taking in the rather sophisticated backdrop of the area.

Several people were milling about the grand hall with cups in hand, talking excitedly amongst themselves, munching on the snacks provided. Marceline spotted a few different people she knew, including Finn and Jake, LSP and a couple other princesses when her eyes landed on Bubblegum off in the far corner, conversing with the Duke in a rather stiff manner while he awkwardly shuffled his feet and scratched the back of his head. Her eyes lingered on the pink princess for a few minutes when someone came up behind her, clearing their throat loudly so as to get her attention.

"Let's hope you don't crash this party like you did mine, Mar-ce-_line_." It was LSP, her arms crossed over her bumpy purple chest, glaring at the vampire with her lips pooched out in a particularly unattractive manner. Marceline turned begrudgingly, growling under her breath.

"That was a long time ago." She grit out. "But come to think of it, I have developed a taste for lumpy space flesh since then…" LSP's beady eyes bugged out, and she watched with satisfaction as the lump sack retreated almost instantly to hide behind Bubblegum. Marceline smirked to herself then, floating over to the drink table, picking up the ladle and pouring herself a bit of punch in a plastic cup.

"Hey, Marceline, how have you been?" It was Turtle Princess this time, standing awkwardly off to her left, a curtain of blonde hair hiding her face. Raggedy Princess stood next to her, her stitched up face looking forlorn as her button eyes looked down at her feet. The vampire smiled a bit, lifting the cup to her face and sucking a bit of the red out of the liquid, turning it to a dull pink color.

"Oh, you know, just writin' songs and hangin' out with… friends. All that junk." She finished awkwardly, biting her tongue, her stomach tightening as she fought back the urge to glance over at her ex. "What about you two?"

"Oh you know, lonely. As always." Raggedy Princess mumbled in answer, only to be nudged by Turtle Princess, who laughed uncomfortably.

"Hanging out with friends sounds nice." She remarked, shifting her cup of punch to the other hand. Marceline looked down at the tiny girl near her feet, following her gaze and seeing Finn at the end. Feeling a little sympathetic, she decided to help the two of them out.

"Hey, I heard Finn's single if you two are interested…" She said, smiling a bit and jerking her head in the direction of the human boy, who was busy showing off his wicked sword moves to a group of onlookers. The two of them giggled simultaneously, their cheeks turning bright red. She was about to say something else when she noticed a tall, ridiculously muscular guy looking her over with interest, grinning when she met his gaze. She was about to float off when he made to approach her, but then stopped herself. She was single, so what was the harm in a bit of flirting? Her ego was a bit damaged lately…

"Well hello there. My name is Prince Huge, but you probably already knew that. And who, may I ask, am I gracing with my presence?" Marceline blinked a bit at the guy's off-putting arrogance, about to dump grey punch down his chest when out of the corner of her eye she caught a certain gummy princess watching her. While she was distracted, he took her hand and began pressing slobbery kisses over the back of her hand. She forced herself to smile at him then, her fangs glistening in the light as she lowered her eyelids over crimson irises.

"Marceline the Vampire Queen, nice to meet you." She replied.

"Oh, I didn't realize you were-" He began, about to drop her hand.

"Oh, I'm not." She purred, turning the full power of her gaze on him. "It's just a title." He chuckled at that, kissing the back of her hand again.

"Well you're in luck, because this stud's single, too." He said. Just when he was about to open his mouth again, Lisby cleared his throat loudly from the front of the room, clapping his hand to get everyone's attention.

"Excuse me everyone, the Duchess of Nuts has something she would like to say!" The Cashew Butler cried, and the room went quiet, everyone turning to face her. The rather plump Duchess then stepped forward, clearing her throat and looking around the room with her large, cat-like eyes.

"Thank you all for attending. As you all know, we are gathered here to celebrate the betrothal of my eldest son and his wife to be. However, my nuts tell me that-" The Duke ran up to her side then, wrapping his arm around her and cutting her off mid-sentence.

"We are quite glad you all could make it and we hope you are enjoying yourselves thus far. For your entertainment tonight, we have invited Marceline the Vampire Queen to play us some of her exquisite undead music!" He stretched his arms out in the vampire's direction, and everyone turned to look at her now. Putting on her most confident smile, she unstrapped her bass and rose up into the air, strumming a few opening chords.

"Hey there little nut, I heard you're getting married," She began, tilting her head back as she sang soft and lilting to the baritone of her bass. "Well let me tell you, it's just like being buried, Oh let me tell you, It seems like just yesterday you were playing, Just outside with your friends…" She went on, losing herself in the sound.

"Silly little nut, Love is for fools, Who follow all the rules," She closed her eyes, remembering the way she had practically bowed to Bubblegum's every whim. She felt a surge of anger, her voice taking on a harsher edge when she began singing the next verse, "It's time to grow up, And out of silly little fantasies…" A pause in vocals, taking over by her axe bass as she squeezed her eyes a little. Down on the floor, Bubblegum's face was starting to go red, her hands balling up into fists.

"Those silly little fantasies, Will give you nothing but sweet trouble…Sweet, sweet trouble, It'll come and go, floating in and out just like a _bubble_…" She finished, plucking the last chord and opening her eyes. Below her, her audience was dead quiet, some averting their eyes while others shuffled from foot to foot.

"Yay…" She looked down to see Jake, clapping his hands awkwardly as he forced an awkward smile, looking up at her. Finn followed his lead, offering his own weak smile and putting his hands together slowly. Her face heated up then as she tried to figure out what had gone wrong, suddenly feeling embarrassed at her audience's lack of reaction. The song had sounded fine when she wrote it, so why wasn't anyone else clapping? And then she saw Bubblegum near the back of the room, her face absolutely livid as she glared up at her, practically shaking with anger. She cleared her throat uncomfortably.

"Uh, that's all." She muttered, descending. She rubbed her arm right arm uncomfortably, looking around her for someone to start up a conversation with, but no one made any effort to meet her gaze.

"Meet me outside as soon as their attention is diverted." A familiar voice whispered harshly, a soft body brushing past her as they made for the exit. She felt goosebumps erupt on her flesh, the hairs on the back of her neck rising as she quelled the urge to spin around. Licking her lips, she fought back a tremor that was threatening to travel up her spine.

"Uh… Thank you, Marceline." The Duke said suddenly, grabbing the crowd's attention. "Alright everyone, time welcome Lisby the butler juggler extraordinaire!" A moment later, the Cashew man rode out on a unicycle juggling three brightly colored balls, giggling loudly until he lost control and crashed into LSP.

"OH. MY. GLOB!" She roared, but Marceline wasn't interested, floating off toward the door to head outside. Just as cool, fresh air touched her skin, a hand shot and grabbed her by the arm, yanking her out of view. She found herself face to face with a very upset princess, dark eyes boring into hers like lasers as she hovered before her.

"What were you thinking?" Bubblegum hissed angrily. "Singing a song like that at an engagement party? I can't believe how self-centered you are sometimes! You always overreact, Marceline! You'd think after a thousand years you could handle your problems without exploding at everyone or singing inappropriate songs! Why don't you just grow up and face your problems like an adult for once in your miserable undead life?" Bubblegum yelled furiously. Marceline, who had remained silent through the other girl's tirade, suddenly flashed forward, a snarl on her sharp face.

"Act like an adult? You want me handle my problems, huh? Fine, I will!" She screamed back, grabbing the princess's face and kissing her roughly, the tips of her sharp teeth scraping Bubblegum's bottom lip, causing it to bleed a little. This didn't go unnoticed to the vampire, who kissed her harder, opening her mouth to lick up the sweet candy blood that oozed out. For what seemed like forever, Bubblegum found herself paralyzed, that want inside her coming to life and burning high as that slick forked tongue worked its way into her mouth, tasting deeper. For a split second, her lips started to move against Marceline's, but then she caught herself, eyes flying wide open again.

"Mmmph!" Her hands came up to the vampire's shoulders and pushed, but she didn't stop. She tried to shove harder but to no avail, so she bit down on the tongue in her mouth hard enough to make the vampire tear her head away, hissing in pain.

"Why did you-!?" She began furiously, eyes blazing.

"Don't you ever, _ever_, do that again! Do you hear me?" Bubblegum cried shrilly, her eyes wide, almost hysterical. Marceline scowled at her for a moment, still wanting to grab her head and kiss her again, so she didn't answer the princess's question, simply staring at her. She hadn't missed that moment of weakness, the way those lips had almost started kissing her back. That wasn't something someone who just wanted to be friends did. So she made up her mind right then that she was going to get the princess back, one way or another. Whether it took a million thwarted kisses or a thousand heroic rescue missions, even if she had to slip into the princess's room every night and coax those buried emotions out of her, Princess Bonnibel Bubblegum was going to be hers again.

"Marceline, are you even listening?" She hissed furiously.

"Yeah, I am." She said, narrowing her eyes and smirking at her. The girl's pink face twisted in anger, and she flung her arms upward, turning around and storming off, back into the Duke's castle. Marceline followed suit, watching the way her rather full bottom swayed from side to side unintentionally as she walked.

She realized the party had recovered when she got inside, back in full swing, people chattering away like monkeys as Finn, Jake and Lisby all worked to entertain them. Marceline watched them for a little while, mildly amused when she caught sight of the princess again talking to the Duke's eldest son and who she assumed to be his fiancé. She watched the way Bubblegum smiled and used her hands, her jaw working languidly under her flesh, the tendons in her throat moving as she spoke. Despite her defensive nature, Marceline had always found it rather erotic when Bubblegum lost her temper, considering how calm and reserved she normally was. She found her body reacting to the aftershocks of Bubblegum's anger as well as the kiss, her mind conjuring up a rather fond memory of the first time Bubblegum had ever touched the vampire intimately.

_(XXX to read the sex scene, see below XXX)_

It was the day after the Marquis of Nuts' engagement party that there was a knock on Marceline's front door that caught her attention, causing her to look up from the movie she was watching. She had been so engrossed in it that she hadn't noticed anyone enter her cave, since her favorite part had been playing, right when the girl was about to be eaten alive by a voracious horde of moaning zombies. She paused it and flew off, opening the door to reveal a rather abashed Princess Bubblegum with her hair pulled into a loose bun, dressed in a pink jacket and skirt, her glasses still perched on her nose as if she'd forgotten they were still on her face. In fact, she looked absolutely exhausted, dark bags hanging under weary eyes.

"Hello, Marceline. I'm sorry to stop by so unexpectedly without even a phone call, but I figured what I had to say was best said in person. Oh, you're watching Zombie Death March… Look, I know it's your favorite film but I uh… wanted to apologize for being so harsh toward you last night." She said, her expression a tad guilty as she met the vampire's eyes. Marceline, still shocked that the princess was in her cave and standing outside her front door, remained silent. Bubblegum mistook this for aloofness, spurring her on to reach out and touch the vampire's cool grey hand.

"Please don't be upset with me, Marce. I'm just so stressed lately. I don't know how to handle everything that's going on, and I overreacted. I know that is no excuse for my actions, but-" She began when the vampire's fingers suddenly gripped her hand, pulling her inside and closing the door behind her.

"Don't sweat it, I'm over it." Marceline said, not letting her finish. "Come one, you should finish this movie with me."

"Oh, I don't know if I have the time…" Bubblegum began, glancing over her shoulder and back at the door.

"But it's my favorite. If you really want to make it up to me about last night, you'll stay and finish it with me." Bubblegum blinked at this, then allowed herself a small smile.

"Well, alright. If you insist." She said, and the vampire pulled her further inside the house.

"Here, I'll get some pillows for you to sit on. One sec, I'll be right back." She said, disappearing to her room before returning with cushions for the princess's butt. She tossed the pillows on the couch, hovering to the right of them as she patted the fluffy space invitingly. As soon as the princess sat beside her, she pressed play, watching Bubblegum out of the corner of her eye as the zombies bit into the screaming television woman's flesh. She grimaced just a bit, and then laughed.

"I remember this part." She said, smiling at it despite the rather gruesome nature of the scene.

"Do you remember what we were doing when we first watched it?" Marceline asked, looking at her directly. There was a pause.

"Yes." Bubblegum answered truthfully, the slightest hint of a blush threatening to color her cheeks.

"I never told you before, but that's why this is my favorite movie." Marceline admitted. "It used to be Bloody Maw II."

"Really?" Bubblegum asked in surprise, turning to face her.

"Yeah." She chuckled. "I watch it all the time now, almost every weekend. It's so corny, Finn and Jake don't get why I like it." Bubblegum laughed, and the sound made Marceline's stomach flutter. The two finished the last thirty minutes of the movie in silence, the vampire watching as Bubblegum grew sleepier, her eyelids drooping and her body sagging. When it was finally over, she was practically asleep, her eyes barely even open as she forced herself onto her feet.

"I really should be going." She said, fighting back a yawn.

"Just stay here, you look dead tired." Marceline said.

"Oh no, I can't. I need to get back in my lab, I'm really quite close to a breakthrough and-" she began, only to be cut off when one slender gray finger pressed over her lips.

"You're so sleepy you'd probably pass out in the rowboat on the way back. Just stay here, take a nap and then when its nighttime I'll wake you up and fly you back to your lab. Sound good?" Marceline suggested, tilting her head to the side, causing her inky hair to spill off to the side.

"Well…" She began, and Marceline reached out to her, tucking a stray lock of gummy hair behind her ear and caressing her face in the process. Her hand lingered there, cupping her face slightly, and the princess found herself leaning into the touch before she stopped herself, fluttering her eyelids. "You're right. If it's no trouble of course…"

"Psh." The vampire rolled her eyes. "C'mon." The princess found herself practically being drug into Marceline's bedroom then, bringing back an array of memories of things that had taken place on the vampire's bed, from innocent to… the not so innocent. A second later the vampire had the pillows back on the bed and was pulling Bubblegum up onto the mattress, peeling back the blankets for her to climb under. Despite the fact Marceline's couch was rather hard and uncomfortable, the same could not be said of her bed, since depending on the night she sometimes physically slept on it as opposed to hovering over it.

"Thank you, Marceline." Bubblegum said with a yawn, and not even a minute later she was out like a light, snoring quietly. Marceline couldn't stop herself from smiling when she reached down to pluck the glasses off of Bubblegum's face, setting them down on her desk before floating back to the girl's sleeping form and lowering herself onto the bed next to her.

She studied the candy girl's face, smoothed out and peaceful in her sleep. It was always so nice to see her so untroubled, not boggling her mind with ridiculously complicated formula or equation. Marceline didn't care how creepy it was that she liked to watch the other girl sleep; she always had and always would. It was the only time to see her in such a relaxed state aside from post orgasm, which had been close enough to sleep for her most of the time anyway. She loved the way her lips parted just slightly, the steady rise and fall of her chest, the expression on her face. Smiling to herself, she reached out and cupped Bubblegum's cheek in her hand, stroking it with her thumb, back and forth.

"I've only got one lifetime to spend with you, and even that doesn't feel like enough." She muttered. "You've got me so whipped its unreal."

**A/N: I swear I don't have a thing against male characters! Anyways, first sex chapter! For UNCENSORED goodness go to my profile and find the adult fanfiction link. From there, go into stories written, cartoons, and click Candy Fangs, chapter 3 Nutty.**


	4. Everything and Nothing

Disclaimer: Adventure Time is owned by Pendleton Ward. I make no profit from this story.

**Part 4**

**Candy Fangs**

_She must've been standing there for half an hour before she finally moved, Marceline's pain fresh in her mind. She couldn't believe what had come out of her own mouth or how fast it had happened. She'd never seen the vampire so upset before in all the years they had known each other, and it was more painful than she could have even imagined. It was as if she had plunged a sword right into Marceline's chest, and there the air of betrayal hanging about her, like that of blood on the floor, reminding her of what she had just done. There was a soft knock on her door._

"_Princess?" She didn't look up._

"_Come in, Peppermint." She said quietly. The little man crossed the room, extending a cup of steaming tea out to her._

"_No… thank you." She croaked, her throat tightening suddenly, hands trembling. Sighing, he set the tray down on her desk._

"_It was the right thing to do, Princess." He said, touching her hand._

"_I-I know you're right… But it doesn't feel that way, Peppermint. I didn't know something like this could hurt so much. I still love her, and the pain I caused her…" Her voice broke, the muscles in her throat tightening._

"_But you're responsibility, Princess. You must always remember that responsibility demands sacrifice. It is all for the best." He murmured, and then he was gone, leaving her alone in her misery as she forced herself to walk over to her bed, legs stiff as boards. She sat there staring in to space for quite a while when she heard the howl, morose as it lingered in the night air outside._

_"Oh Marceline, I-I'm so sorry. So sorry..." She cried, tears finally welling up in beautiful dark eyes and spilling over the brim. She shook with sobs as she sat there in her bed, crushing her knees to her chest, wishing she could take back all those hurtful things she had said. Take back the pain she had caused, and the mistrust she had instilled._

_She imagined one of Marceline's cool hands touching the top of her head, stroking her hair in a comforting manor. She imagined that smooth voice whispering comforting words into her ear, that firm body behind her, pulling her into an embrace she felt could protect her from anything. She longed for the Vampire Queen's touch, her love and forgiveness. She wished she could throw her crown away and run off with the vampire, singing and laughing together, talking about things that made no sense, making love until their bodies trembled with exertion, throats hoarse and lips swollen. But she knew her place was in the candy kingdom, with her people, bettering their lives and protecting them. Her place was as a princess, and she had to keep up that image for the sake of her people, whether it left room for love or not. At least that's what she told herself…_

"You know, you still haven't told me why you dumped me." Marceline said as she stared up at the sky beside Bonnibel, her crimson eyes trained on the moon hanging overheard. Bubblegum sighed deeply.

"I know." She said, and Marceline waited for something more, but the princess remained silent. A frown tugged down at the corners of her mouth, and she turned her head to face the other girl.

"Well aren't you going to tell me now?" She asked, unable to keep the edge out of her voice. Bubblegum closed her eyes in response, the corners of her own mouth turning downward.

"No. I do not wish to talk about it." She said stiffly. "Look, a shooting star." She lifted one hand, pointing up at the sky as a tiny white light streaked across the midnight backdrop. Marceline looked up impulsively, then bit her tongue, realizing she was being led off track.

"I don't care. I want to know." She said stubbornly, and Bubblegum sat upright abruptly, her face contorting with frustration.

"I can't tell you, alright? I just can't, so please stop asking me. Can't we just enjoy one another's company like we used to?" She asked in exasperation, a strange look dancing just behind her dark eyes. The two of them stared at each other for a moment, when Marceline finally gave up, realizing Bubblegum wasn't going to give in.

"Yeah, I guess." Marceline grumbled, and the two of them lay there in silence, staring up at the sky, the tension dissipating at an agonizingly slow pace. Then it was the vampire's turn to heave a heavy sigh.

"What's wrong?" Bubblegum turned to face her, her expression suddenly concerned.

"I'm still in love with you, if you didn't already know that." Marceline said, turning her own head to look the princess in the eyes. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting, and she found herself a little surprised when she saw guilt line the girl's face.

"I… know." She said slowly, turning her face away and closing her eyes again. "I still have romantic feelings for you as well."

"R-really…?" The vampire asked, unable to hide her surprised excitement as she rolled onto her stomach and rose into the air a little. A tiny smile twitched at the corners of Bubblegum's lips and she let out a humorless laugh, not looking at her still.

"Yes. When I invited you here tonight, I wanted to tell you that there was nothing between us anymore… but I couldn't." She laughed again. "I've been trying all night, but when you look at me the way you do, I just can't bring myself to do it. That night you kidnapped me, everything I've buried deep down in my psyche came roaring back to life in a way even I can't hope to explain. And when you kissed me at the party…" She shook her head. The vampire hung in the air, wide eyed and slack jawed, unable to speak or move her limbs for fear she'd break the surrealism of the moment, stirring herself into wakefulness from a dream she didn't want to escape.

When Bubblegum finally turned again to look at Marceline, the vampire just couldn't help herself; she moved just a fraction closer, cupping that soft, warm candy cheek in her cool palm as glistening black irises stared back at her, tugging at her heart strings. She had just begun stroking smooth skin with the pad of her long, skinny thumb when all of a sudden a rather tempting bottom lip caught her attention, and she found herself running the digit over the swell of it ever so carefully. The princess's breath hitched as the vampire leaned in closer, until their lips were a hairsbreadth apart, the undead queen inhaling her sweet candy breath as it rasped its way out of her lungs, the surroundings calm enough that she could hear the princess's heart pounding wildly within her chest. She wondered distantly if the vampire knew that she had such an effect of the candy person's body, but then again if she did, she never would've been able to fool the vampire in the first place. It was a wonder she hadn't given in outside the Duchy that night, with how hard she felt herself falling all over again, or returning her fiery kiss just outside. The Vampire Queen's passion had always rendered her helpless and reeled her in, like a fish on a hook.

When the vampire finally kissed her, it stole her breath, and she knew that even if she managed the strength the push her away, she couldn't do it. She wanted to taste the Vampire Queen's lips too badly, craved their firmness, and the demanding yet gentle movements of her tongue caressing her own. She wasn't disappointed either, as Marceline craved her as well, seizing her willingness and using it to her utmost advantage. Her cool lips brought utter relief to the painful ache in Bubblegum's chest that had been there for so long she had forgotten it was there in the first place, just as the princess's warmth filled up the gaping hole in the vampire's still heart. That moment was everything she'd missed about the vampire queen, rendering her helpless, until she couldn't help but wrap her arms around her in an effort to pull her closer.

It seemed to drive Marceline crazy when Bubblegum let out the tiniest of moans when she felt sharp teeth nibble her bottom lip, not as rough as their last kiss but enough to catch her attention and urge her to open her mouth. Bubblegum's fingers grasped at Marceline's shoulders, wadding up her shirt as the vampire lowered herself over her fully, so that she was able to feel soft breasts push again her own, a strong thigh coming to rest between her own. She deepened the kiss then, groaning softly as the princess's sweet candy taste coated her tongue. There was only one other place on her body that tasted as sweet as this, if not sweeter... When she finally pulled her mouth away from Bubblegum's, the girl was left gasping for breath, whimpering as fangs and a forked tongue teased her sensitive throat.

"Ahh, M-Marce," She moaned, trying to grasp at the vampire's head but running her fingers through thick black locks instead. "N-not here, please…" She didn't even need to finish her sentence, finding herself being scooped up into strong, slender arms, hoisting her up into the sky. The vampire's face was a mixture of determination and lust as they flew through the night sky faster than Bubblegum was used to, leaving her to squeeze her eyes shut and cling to the other girl for fear of falling. At this the vampire's arms tightened around her, holding her closer as she moved faster through the air.

They arrived at the castle in what felt like mere moments to the Princess, the vampire's boots clicking softly as she touched down on the stone of the windowsill. She set Bubblegum down on her feet just inside, watching her silently as she walked up to her door and pulled the deadbolt in place. Just as she turned around to address the vampire, she found herself pushed up against the door, a hungry mouth on her own once more. She bit the girl's lip roughly, causing her to whimper and open her mouth, allowing her quick access once more. Their tongues moved languidly, sliding and pushing against each other until Bubblegum seemed to submit, the soft muscle sliding along the underside of Marceline's enticingly.

(XXX to read the sex scene, see below XXX)

"You're so beautiful." Bubblegum said as she lay there, looking up at the Vampire Queen. After a moment she sat up, reaching for a handkerchief tucked away in a pocket on her discarded dress. Marceline smiled shakily at that, settling herself back down on the bed at the girl's side.

"So're you." She said, and found herself suddenly afraid to touch the princess, thinking that if she did that she might recoil and so she sat there awkwardly, one hand supporting her weight while the other lay limply in her lap. Bubblegum smiled at her, and the two were quiet, both of them wanting to say something but unable to bring themselves to actually voice the right words. And so Bubblegum began to crawl to the edge of the bed, heading in the direction of her chest of drawers when Marceline caught her wrist.

"Can we…cuddle, y'know, naked?" She asked, her eyes pleading. She knew it wasn't Bubblegum's favorite thing to do, feeling as though they were exposing themselves to the unnecessary risk of being caught, but she needed to feel the girl against her still, skin to skin. When the princess looked into her wide, begging eyes, she couldn't bring herself to say now.

"For tonight." She agreed and crawled back to her, kissing her lightly on the lips, then reached out to peel the blankets back. Marceline floated off to turn out the lights, pausing to kick the remaining clothes off the bed into a pile on the stone floor before settling under the covers with her princess. She pressed her pubis into the girl's bottom, her breasts pressing into her back as her arms wrapped around her waist, her room temperature body absorbing her heat. Within moments Bubblegum's breathing evened out and she was asleep, but Marceline found it much harder to drop off, despite the drowsiness from her orgasm. She felt so relieved to feel Bubblegum against her again, it was almost unreal. She had honestly thought, despite nights of lying in bed remembering and thinking, that she would never feel Bubblegum's naked body against her own again. She held onto the princess tightly for most of the night, inhaling her smell and stroking patches of skin, committing every detail of the girl's body to memory when she remembered something from a long time ago.

_It was a week or so after Marceline had first confessed her love for Bubblegum, and the two were sitting on her huge mattress, the princess trying to study from her text book while the vampire bombarded her with questions._

_"Would you still love me if my face was like LSP all the time?" Marceline asked, squishing her face between her hands, waiting for Bubblegum to look up from what she was doing. "Oh my glob, kiss meh, PB." She said, making smoochie lips with her best LSP voice. Bubblegum smacked face with a pillow, but couldn't help but laugh. A moment later, she pushed the pillow off, sitting up again and thinking._

_"Would you still love me if... I had a bat nose all the time?" Marceline asked, morphing her nose into the wet snout of a bat._

_"Of course." Bubblegum said, kissing her nose and causing the vampire to blush._

Marceline awoke to the sting of sunlight on her back, making her hiss in pain. She transformed herself into a bat, diving under the covers and causing Bonnie stir slightly in her sleep, murmuring unintelligibly. She blinked blearily, a little dazed as she realized she was in the princess's room with a still naked princess in the bed. Smiling to herself, she snuggled up into the curve of Bubblegum's back, inhaling deeply when suddenly she sat bolt upright. She was left in a tangle of blankets as the princess scrambled out of bed, and Marceline struggled to the other side of the mattress, peeking out from under the cover of blankets to see the princess dressing frantically, just before a knock sounded on the door.

"Princess, I have your morning tea. May I come in?" It was Peppermint butler.

"One moment please!" She called back, yanking the curtains closed and then rushing to the door, pulling the deadbolt back. Marceline suppressed a hiss and receded back further into the blankets as the little candy man came in, carrying a tray with a cup of steaming tea.

"Something the matter, princess?" He asked, noting she looked a little frazzled.

"Oh no, everything is just fine." She said, smiling and taking a quick sip of her tea. "You know, this tea would taste so much better if I drank it in the lab. Won't you come with me?" She asked, and put her hand behind his back, rushing him out, tossing a anxious glance over her shoulder before closing the door behind her. Marceline heaved a heavy sigh, rolling her eyes and snuggling down into the blankets again, tucking in for a long day of hiding in the princess's room until the sun went down, since she didn't have her gloves or sunhat.

She managed to sleep most of the day away, but woke up sometime late in the afternoon, bored and hungry. Climbing out of the bed, she transformed back into her usual self and got dressed in her clothes from the other night, floating up into the air and looking around. Even though it had been quite a while since she had been in the princess's room, save for the previous night, not much had changed. Then again, that wasn't surprising considering Bubblegum was a rather impersonal girl at times, not one for personal touches. She flew up into the air, deciding to dig around in the closet, rummaging through a variety of pink outfits including dresses, pants, shirts and what not, as well as the black band shirt Marceline had presented to her the night after the concert. The memory made her blush a little bit.

"_Do you like it?" She asked, producing a black band shirt from her bag, holding it up for the princess to see. Bubblegum's face lit up in a smile._

"_I love it! Thank you, Marceline!" She said, taking the shirt from her and trying it on. Marceline could feel herself blushing with happiness, loving the way the punk rock shirt looked on little miss prim and proper. _

"_I'm glad." She managed, smiling. It was then that Bubblegum hugged her tightly, their cheeks pressed together. She wrapped her arms around the other girl, holding her close and breathing her in. All the way back from the concert Marceline had found herself worrying that what had happened back there was a fluke, something that had just happened and didn't mean anything, so that they'd go back to being normal friends again as soon as they got back to the castle. The thought had been enough to tie her stomach in knots, worrying about whether she'd ever get another opportunity to confess her feelings for the girl or if she should even bother. _

"_You know, despite your tough exterior, you really are a sweetheart deep down." Bubblegum said as she pulled away enough to look at Marceline, holding onto her shoulders still. The vampire rolled her eyes at the remark, but did not fail to notice the blush that crept up into the candy girl's cheeks then, watching as she lowered her eyes a moment before leaning in and shyly pressing a kiss to Marceline's lips. Marceline caught the back of her head just as she was about to draw back, pulling her back in for more. _

"_Stay with me tonight?" Bubblegum asked when she drew back, a nervous smile on her lips. _

"_Sure." The vampire agreed nonchalantly, reveling silently. "But I don't have any clothes to wear to bed, or for tomorrow." _

"_You can borrow some of mine." The candy girl suggested, standing up, about to go into to her closet when the vampire held up her hands, shaking her head. _

"_It's fine, I can manage." She said quickly, kicking off her shoes. _

"_Well I'm going to go get in my pajamas at least. I'll be right back." Bubblegum said, and went to her chest of drawers, retrieving a night gown and setting her crown down. She disappeared into her bathroom for a little bit, leaving Marceline to herself as she unsnapped her bra and pulled it out of her shirt, tossing it aside. She turned her head slightly when she felt the bed shift a few minutes later, Bubblegum crawling toward her. She looked sleepy as she pulled back the blankets and settled underneath, her back to the vampire. Marceline climbed in after her, silent as she stared intently at the girl's back, wondering if she could cuddle up against her when suddenly the girl scooted backwards just a bit before going still. _

_Feeling a little reassured, Marceline closed the rest of the distance, pressing herself lightly into the girl's warm back, the curve of her bottom settling into Marceline's pubis perfectly, breasts pushing against her back. Ever so carefully, she rested one arm over the girl's waist, her face mere centimeters away from the girl's powdered gum hair. The two lay awake for a little while, neither saying a word as they got used to the feel of one another. Marceline for one, was not used to being the big spoon, although she found that she rather liked it, and Bubblegum on the other hand, had never played the part of either spoon, and found herself quite liking the position in general. But soon enough, the two dropped off, and were lost in their own separate dreamscapes. _

_Marceline awoke the following afternoon to the rustling of blankets as Bubblegum sat up yawning, her arms raised over her head as she stretched. She realized that the curtains had been drawn shut, a thin sliver of light allowed through that stretched no further than a few feet from the windowsill, which lit the room just enough to see by. She admired the new shirt on Bubblegum, still lying underneath the blankets, smiling to herself and propping her head up with one hand as she observed the other girl waking up. Everything was fine and dandy until she made to leave the bed._

"_Hey, who said you could get up?" Marceline asked from under the blankets, her voice still a little groggy with sleep._

"_Oh, do I need your permission to move around?" Bubblegum asked playfully as she stretched her legs, facing away from the bed._

"_Yes!" She said, and Bubblegum squeaked as she was suddenly swallowed up by the blankets, Marceline pulling her back onto the bed. She laughed as she her sides were tickled mercilessly, left gasping for breath when the vampire finally let up. _

"_C-can I go now?" She asked breathlessly, wiping at the corner of her eye. _

"_Not yet." Marceline set, and leaned down, kissing her forehead softly before drawing back. A moment later, she leaned back down, kissing the girl's nose, then her lips. This third kiss lasted the longest, when the vampire finally pulled away, a bit reluctantly. _

"_Ok. Now you can go." She said, smiling._

Marceline bit her lip then, looking around the room for something else to do when she spotted Bonnie's desk. With a wicked little smile, she began snooping through the papers laid out on the desk, although there wasn't anything very interesting there. She then began rummaging through the drawers, finding pens and pencils, rulers, scotch tape and other office type supplies when she came across a drawer that was locked. Knowing that this was the drawer Bubblegum kept her diary in as well as her most precious data, she produced a bobby pin from her pocket, and began working at the lock until it gave. She felt an anxious little bubble form in her stomach, suddenly afraid of what she might read as she reached for the little pink book. And then the bed room door knob turned, making Marceline stiffen as she slammed the door shut, flinging the pin somewhere off in the room as she dashed up toward the ceiling.

"Marceline, where are—oh." Bubblegum looked up at the ceiling then, smiling when she saw the vampire perched on a rafter. "I hope you weren't too bored all day, cooped up in here by yourself." She said, sitting down on her bed.

"Why is my desk such a mess?" She asked suddenly, realizing all her things were strewn out everywhere.

"I was looking for a pen and paper." She lied quickly.

"I see. Blank sheets of paper are over here, silly." Bubblegum said, smiling. "If you'd just looked you would've seen it."

"Oh." Marceline said, nodding her head as she drifted down to eye level with the princess. "So uh, about last night…?" The princess sighed.

"Things will need to be even stricter than before. You must _only_ come to see me at night, Marceline. That shouldn't be hard, given that you are a creature of the night after all. And we must take extra precautions so as not to be seen together, by anyone." Bubblegum said, her eyes completely serious.

"Bonnie, are you…?" She couldn't bring herself to finish the question, for fear of the answer. _Are you ashamed of being with me? _"Never mind. Fine, I agree." She grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I'm glad." Bubblegum said, a relieved smile washing over her face, as if oblivious to Marceline's obvious distaste for the conditions. "I've missed you so much, Marce. I really have." She said, standing up and gathering the other girl into her arms, hugging her tight. It was almost too much to bear, the vampire fighting back the urge to explode. _If you missed me so much, then why is it so important to keep me a secret?_

"I gotta go." She said, pulling away abruptly. She flew through the curtains and out of the window, disappearing into the night outside. She wouldn't have ever thought she needed to be away from Bonnie so soon after being reunited, but then again, she never thought that she'd have to follow a set of ridiculous rules, either. And she _still_ didn't know why they'd broken up in the first place…

She spent quite a while in her cave thinking, wandering around in the dark, moist depths before returning to her house and strumming a few chords on her base. She wondered what Bubblegum was doing, and what she was thinking, if she had any idea just how cruel her little "rules" really were. Even though Bubblegum was an overall kind person, she could be rather inept when it came to considering the feelings of others concerning the things she said and did. It was always about her loyal subjects, what they needed, what they wanted, what was best for them. And Marceline got that, she really did, but would it kill her to think about herself for a change? Or maybe to consider how Marceline felt?

But hell, if that mattered, she never would've dumped Marceline in the first place. At least not the way she had done it. The vampire found herself gripping the neck of her guitar tighter and tighter, strumming the chords a little too roughly, when she just set it down and forced herself to relax. 'Focus on the positive for once. You can talk to her now, touch her again, and even make love to her. Maybe I can butter her up a little if I try hard enough, get her relax a bit on those rules of hers. It wouldn't be the first time…' Marceline smiled to herself, recalling her rather innate gift of 'persuasion', especially where Princess Bubblegum was concerned. She wondered then what Finn and Jake would say about the whole situation.

"Hm. Maybe it's time I pay them a visit." She mused. Donning her hat and gloves, she flew out to meet her friends, arriving fairly quickly. She slipped into the tree house through an open window, completely undetected, watching as the dog stood in the kitchen, humming happily to himself as he prepared breakfast for Finn and himself.

"Hey, puppy." Marceline snarled, transforming herself into a wolf and snarling in Jake's ear, who let out a wail of terror.

"Finn!" He yelled, who came running out of their room, brandishing his sword.

"What's the matter Jake? Oh hey, Marceline." He said, lowering his weapon and waving. "Sup? You're up awful early."

"Not much." She lied, transforming back to her usual self and flipping her hair out of her face, floating backwards with her hands behind her head, as if she were in a pool. "How about you guys?"

"Hm. Just about to eat breakfast. Do you want anything?" He asked politely, going to the fridge and digging around.

"Got any strawberries?" She asked, floating up beside him.

"As requested, milady." He said, pulling out a plastic bag and handing it to her. About a handful of mushy strawberries were inside, just enough red in them left to tide her over until later. "So what brings you here?" Finn asked as he sat down, soon followed by a weary but silent Jake, scraping some eggs onto his plate.

"Well, I had a question I wanted to ask you." She said honestly, taking one strawberry and sinking her left fang into it, sucking out the red.

"Shoot." He said, stuffing his face.

"So… if somebody you really, really liked asked you to follow a set of really dumb rules in order to be with them… would you do it?" She asked, glancing over at him, tossing aside the mushy grey strawberry. Finn stopped eating for a minute, thinking about it.

"Well, yeah, I suppose so. But only if I really liked them. Like, a whole lot." He was about to start eating again when a thought struck him, his face scrunching up. "Hey, you're not with that Ash guy again, are you?"

"Oh, no. That guy is a mega-loser, I'm so over him." She laughed genuinely, sucking the red from another strawberry.

"Well then who're you talking about? Does Marce have a boyfriend?" He asked, grinning playfully, and she bit the inside of her cheek at that. If Finn knew who she really cared about, she didn't know how he'd take it. Probably better now than he would've before he met Flame Princess.

"No, no boyfriend. I was just curious is all." She said, tossing the second strawberry aside.

"Can I say something?" Jake asked then, looking up from his food, which was almost untouched. Marceline felt her back stiffen a little, remembering the way he'd looked at her that night back with the Ice King incident.

"Yeah, sure."

"Well, you gotta ask yourself a few things before deciding if that person is worth sticking with. I mean, I don't know your life or anything," He said quickly, "but, well, is it really worth being with someone who makes up a set of rules so that you can be with them? You gotta like them a whole just to follow those rules, especially if they're not fair." He finished, playing with his food awkwardly. Marceline was still for a few seconds, a confused Finn looking from one friend to the other, trying to catch up.

"Yeah." Marceline agreed. She loved Bubblegum a whole lot. Sometimes too much, she thought.

"So uh… wanna go adventuring with us today, Marceline?" Finn offered, picking up his plate and setting it in the sink. She glanced over at him as if she had forgotten he was even there, then offered a small smile.

"Nah, I'm good. But thanks for answering my question you guys. I really appreciate it." She sucked the red from the last strawberry, tossing it away when she was done. With that, she gave a small wave and left, but not before catching Jake's complaint about the mess she'd left, which made her laugh.

Later that night, Marceline returned, flying over the kingdom and entering the castle through the princess's bedroom window only to find it empty. Despite her absence, the vampire was not deterred, knowing exactly where to find her. She flew back out through the window, around the castle and down to the laboratory, slipping in through an open window.

"Whatcha dewwin'?" The vampire asked, sliding up behind the princess.

"...an experiment." She said flatly, biting her tongue as she worked to measure out exactly one drop into a beaker of blue liquid.

"Oh." She said, pushing thick pink hair out of the way and nuzzling Bubblegum's soft throat affectionately.

"Marceline, I'm a little busy right now…" She said slowly, letting her annoyance show plainly in her tone.

"Hm..." The vampire hummed, nibbling her skin. There was a low hiss as Bubblegum managed to finish what she was doing, and the vampire watched with mild interest as the liquid changed to indigo, then violet, followed by red, orange, yellow and so on, following the sequence of the rainbow.

"That's pretty cool." She said, touching her feet down on the ground and settling behind Bubblegum.

"Thanks." She said with mild irritation, Marceline holding on to her despite the fact that was reaching for her notepad and pen to record her results. It quickly became obvious that the vampire had no intention of leaving her alone to work, and was not going to be ignored.

"So what're you working on, anyways?" Marceline asked, resting her head on the other girls shoulder and reading her notes.

"Well, to put it simply, I'm looking for a way to establish who or what will take my place when I am gone, since I'm not going to live forever." She said, taking off her glasses and cleaning the lenses with the hem of her lab coat. The vampire went stiff behind her then, and the air around them became tense. Bubblegum instantly realized she had made the wrong choice in words.

"But you can." Marceline whispered in her ear, and although Bubblegum couldn't see her, she could almost picture the sullen look on her face.

"Marceline, no. If I'm going to live for an exponentially long period of time I wish to do so through the means of science, not vampirism."

"But how likely is that to happen? You've been working on that science crap for as long as I've known you, and it's nowhere near as full proof as what I can give you! I could do it whether you wanted me to or not, you know." she said darkly, arms tightening around her midsection. Bubblegum heaved a heavy sigh and pried the vampire's hands away from her waist, taking one in her own as she met the vampire's gaze.

"But you won't." She said, her voice firm while her eyes softened, taking in the rather morose vampire queen, who was on the verge of tears. She hated that the candy princess could make her cry so much, and so easily at that. The argument of the princess's mortality was a frequently recurring problem.

"Let's just forget about this and go to bed, alright? Let me just clean up here." She said, turning away and reaching for the glowing beaker when strong hands grabbed her by the hips, spinning her around. Before she knew what was happening, she was backed up against the table, Marceline kissing her lips fiercely.

**A/N: Please R&R with opinions guys. Another sex scene, so if you wanna read it, follow the adult link on my profile. I apologize for how disjointed it makes the story, but I'm working really hard on the plot line here and I would DIE if this story was removed for MA content. Thanks for reading, I sincerely appreciate it.**


	5. Fur

Disclaimer: Adventure Time is owned by Pendleton Ward. I make no profit from this story.

**Part 5**

**Candy Fangs**

_It was a sunny day in Ooo when a young Princess Bubblegum decided to take a stroll through the Candy Kingdom's apple orchards, carrying a light pink parasol as she walked down the beaten dirt path. She hummed a little tune to herself as she went, her eyes set on the trees up ahead when she happened to look up by pure chance, spotting something small and black falling from the sky, thick plumes of smoke rising into the air after it. She could swear she heard it hissing, or perhaps screaming, and watched as it plummeted downward, falling amidst the foliage up ahead. Slightly alarmed, but more curious than anything else, she ran the rest of the way to the orchards, her feet slapping the ground as her short, puffy locks of gummy hair bouncing about her small pink head. _

_Once under cover of the trees, she began looking for the smoldering object, her sharp eyes scouring the fertile ground and the trunks of the trees. She could smell something, a rather awful smell she had never encountered before, acrid and nauseating, and yet the desire to know spurred her on to search for whatever had fallen from the sky. Following her nose, she weaved in between the trees, occasionally looking up and scouring the branches overhead for any form of debris. Then she saw it, tiny and black with tattered leathery wings and tiny blue limbs, thin steams of smoke still rising from its body. Remarkably, it wasn't on fire anymore, and wasn't moving either. Knowing she should leave it alone, but not really caring about what she should do, the young princess approached it, peering down at the strange little bat inquisitively. She kneeled down, studying its peculiarly humanoid hands and feet when all of a sudden blue eyes flashed open, staring right up at her._

"_What're you staring at, kid?! Get lost!" The bat snapped in a shockingly female voice, tiny lips moving over the long fangs in its mouth, its large, squashed looking nose moving as it spoke. Bubblegum blinked in surprise, tilting her head curiously as she stood up._

"_Are you alright?" She asked the bat. _

"_Do I look alright?" The bat snapped, and she indeed had a point. Her fur was singed in several places, scorch marks on her limbs and nose and there were holes burned right through her wings. And yet, she seemed to be healing right before Bubblegum's eyes, her skin on her growing back and the holes sealing shut. She grumbled as she moved into a sitting position, glaring up at the pink girl grumpily. "What, you've never seen a vampire before?"_

"_Well… no." The pink girl admitted, blinking her dark eyes as she brought one hand up to her face, tilting her head to the side in fascination. "Your ability to regenerate is quite remarkable." _

"_Uh… thanks." The bat blinked, raising one eyebrow up at her, feeling like a bug under a microscope. "Stop staring at me like that, it's creeping me out."_

"_Oh! My deepest apologies, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable!" The young princess said quickly, shaking her head, making her hair bounce around. "I was just thinking… well, do you have anywhere dark to go? The orchards are somewhat shady, but I propose that you could come back with me to my castle for a while, at least until nightfall when you can leave safely."_

"You would willingly let a vampire into your castle?" The bat laughed incredulously, large eyes widening up at her.

"_Why not? Only the lowliest of creatures would harm someone who aided them in a time of such vulnerability." The princess declared boldly, surprising the vampire, who quickly masked it with a look of disinterest. _

"_Alright, I guess I'll go with you. Not like I have anything better to do." She sniffed, crossing her arms over her fuzzy little chest._

"_Here, get under my parasol and I'll take you back with me." The princess said, smiling. The bat flapped her now mostly healed wings and plucked a bright red apple off of a low hanging branch, coming back down to rest on Bubblegum's right shoulder as she lifted the parasol over their heads and began walking down the path back to the castle. The vampire licked her lips hungrily, sinking her fangs into the apple and sucking the red from it with a rather loud, wet slurp before tossing the gray remains away, smacking her lips. _

"_How did you…?" The princess blinked, pausing to stare at the slightly shriveled gray apple on the ground. The bat belched._

"_Vampires don't just drink blood, you know. We can drink shades of red too; pink included." She added with a hiss, but the princess didn't seem to be alarmed._

"_Fascinating." Was all she said, and the pair continued on to the castle, the bat riding along on her shoulder, the smell of bubblegum thick in her nostrils. The banana guards stationed at the gate smiled and greeted the young girl as she walked by, staring at the little creature with obvious confusion when she stuck her forked tongue out at them, blowing a raspberry. Once safely inside the castle, the vampire transformed herself, her body elongating and taking on a more human shape, drawing a gasp of surprise from the young princess. A stunning young woman hovered in the air before her, vibrant red eyes set in a beautiful, angular gray face, a long mane of wavy midnight hair spilling down her back._

"_I owe ya one kid, you've got guts. The name's Marceline." She said, jabbing one skinny thumb at her own chest. Then she laughed, reclining in midair and floating backwards with her arms behind her head. _

"_Pleased to meet you." The princess said, curtsying politely. "Would you care for anything else to drink from? I'm sure we have plenty more apples, as well as some strawberries, tomatoes and-"_

_"__I don't make it a habit of befriending mortals, kid." The vampire said suddenly, cutting her off midsentence. The princess paused, looking up at her with obvious bewilderment._

_"__Would you consider making an exception for me?" She asked, turning the full force of those big, sparkling dark eyes on the vampire. For a second Marceline found herself thrown off guard, drawn to that sweet little pink face. Shaking her head slightly, she allowed herself a small smile, floating closer to the princess and drifting behind her back so that she had to turn around in order to see her._

_"…__Perhaps. But you gotta promise me one thing." She said, striking ruby eyes meeting onyx. _

_"__Well, I can certainly try, if it is within my reach of course." Bubblegum said, straightening herself up in a rather regal manner. The sight was so formal, and yet totally adorable that Marceline would've laughed had she not been so serious about what she was going to ask of the princess._

_"__You can't forget me. Ever." She said, her expression stony and firm. _

_"__Of course I won't forget you!" The princess said immediately, surprised. What a silly thing to promise someone._

_"__But do you promise?" She repeated, pausing midair._

_"__I promise." The princess agreed, her own expression perfectly serious._

_"__Cross your heart and hope to die?" The vampire pressed, reaching out and poking the girl's chest where the little organ fluttered beneath her breastbone. _

_"__I swear it on my honor as a princess." She declared, her voice ringing with finality._

_"__Good, cuz I like you, kid." The vampire's smile returned back to her face, the points of her pearly fangs protruding out from under her upper lip._

_"__Please, my name is Bonnibel." The princess replied, beaming back at her new friend, the undead Vampire Queen named Marceline._

"Doesn't it ever bother you that you can't see your reflection?" Bubblegum asked as they sat in the meadow, her fingers caressing the petals of a flower near her left foot. She glanced up at the vampire curiously then, her dark eyes questioning as they met crimson irises.

"I don't need a mirror to know I look great." Marceline said confidently, smirking at the princess as she flipped her long black hair back over her shoulder. "It just comes naturally."

"Like that cowlick there?" Bubblegum asked, one eyebrow quirked in amusement as she gestured to the top of the vampire's head vaguely.

"What!?" The vampire's hands flew to her head, feeling around vigorously when she caught Bubblegum trying to stifle a snicker, scowling when she let out a full blown guffaw.

"Yeah, you're funny. Ha, ha, _ha_…" Marceline grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest grumpily. Bubblegum's laughter died down a little then, smiling at the gray girl as she reached out and stroked her cheek.

"Oh, don't be such a baby, Marce. I was only playing. Here," She reached down, rummaging through her satchel and bringing out a red rose, its petals slightly tattered from being squashed in between books. The vampire's eyes lit up when she saw it, licking her lips and taking it, sinking one fang into the its central cluster of petals.

"Thanks babe, I needed a snack." Marceline said, floating over to Bubblegum and pressing a sweet little kiss against her pink cheek, making her giggle a little.

"You're welcome." She replied, the vampire leaning in for a kiss on the lips when dark eyes lit up.

"Can I ask you something?" She asked, their lips a hairsbreadth apart.

"Uh, sure, I guess." The vampire replied, not bothering to hide her frown as she pulled away.

"What does pink taste like in comparison to red?" She asked, seemingly out of nowhere, looking at her with that bright, burning curiosity in her eyes. It was like she was thirteen all over again, like the day they met back in the apple orchards.

"Well, it's a shade of red..." She began slowly, but the princess shook her head vigorously.

"I know that! But does it taste any different?"

"Oh, yeah. A lot sweeter, and richer." She answered, smirking a little as she leaned in again. "I've had a bit of a sweet tooth lately…" She murmured, lips ghosting over Bubblegum's one again when suddenly there was a dainty pink hand pushing her face away, squishing her lips and nose slightly. "Wha!?"

"Not here." Bubblegum hissed, scowling slightly. The vampire scowled right back, then let out a huff and crossed her arms, looking away as she pouted. Feeling a little guilty, the princess reached out and touched her face lightly, a brief caress. "C'mon, let's go back to the castle." She offered, standing up.

"Fine." The vampire muttered, not looking over at her but following as she started to walk off. The two parted ways when they reached the outer gates of the castle, Marceline flying up and over the houses as the princess walked down the street, waving to the banana guards good naturedly as she passed. It took her a while to make her way up all of the long flights of stairs leading to her room, and when she finally opened the door she found the vampire hovering over her bed, still sulking.

"What took you so long?" She asked grumpily, glaring at the princess as she made her way into the room, pulling the deadbolt shut behind her.

"Well, unlike you, I have to walk places which actually takes more time than just flying through people's windows." Bubblegum responded with a little agitation, the vampire's temper irking her. But after all, it was the princess's fault, and she knew it. Perhaps the agitation came more from her guilt than the gray girl's snippiness.

"And why'd you lock the door?" The vampire asked, her voice getting harsher as she got angrier, her mouth pulling down sharply at the corners. She looked as if she might cry.

"Marce, I had that deadbolt installed because of you and the things we used to… the things we do in here." Bubblegum said, her voice sounding incredibly tired as she crossed the room and sat down on her bed, scooting closer to where the vampire hovered over her mattress. She could see the vampire's gray bottom lip trembling ever so slightly as she closed the space between them, and noticed the subtle wetness collecting at the corners of those ruby eyes. A little part of her heart broke at that, and she bit the inside of her cheek hard as punishment, getting on her knees and reaching up to pull the vampire down to her. She reeled her in close and hugged her torso gently, resting her chin on Marceline's ribs so that her dark eyes could meet crimson ones. Heaving a heavy sigh, long, slender hands came down to stroke Bubblegum's thick gummy hair, a tender touch as she managed to keep herself from crying in front of the princess.

"You know… I'll always love you. Like, forever… whether you want me to or not." Marceline said suddenly, her face dead serious as she stared down at the other girl. "I'm yours even if the world ends all over again. And if that happens, I'll protect you with everything I've got, with every ounce of strength I have in me. I'd even turn you if I had to, because your life matters more to me than if you hated my guts."

"Marceline…" She began, her eyes wide as she lifted her head. She looked at her squarely, seeing the truth hard and cold on the vampire's face. She felt her throat constrict, her arms falling away and dropping down to her sides, limp as they hung there. "I... I don't know what to say."

"What? You… you _don't know what to say _Bonnie? You could say you love me too, that's what you could say! Ugh, you can't do this to me! You can't just… ugh! I'm out, just whatever!" She yelled furiously, her voice echoing off the stone walls as she rose sharply into the air, higher than before as she shot off toward the window.

"No! Wait!" Bubblegum cried, jumping slightly and catching her by the boot.

"Why? So you can hurt me more?" Marceline snapped furiously, the tears back in her eyes again, cheeks flaming red. Bubblegum felt sick to her stomach, pulling weakly at the girl's shoe as she stood up on her bed, grabbing onto the vampire. Both arms locked around her waist, pulling her into a tight embrace as the princess buried her face in the right side of Marceline's chest. Stunned, the vampire stayed perfectly still, taking in the utter surrealism of seeing Bubblegum so vulnerable.

"Don't go, please." She whispered hoarsely. She stood there, just holding onto Marceline for a long time, starting to tremble after a while. It started in her legs, then her back, moving into her arms until it became clear that Bonnie was actually _crying_. It was something Marceline had only witnessed a handful of times, only once over something pertaining to her. At least, that was the only time she _knew_ of.

'_Glob, all this guilt is going to kill me. This is going rip my lumpin' heart right out of my chest if this keeps up..._' She knew she couldn't keep hurting Marceline the way she was, and yet she couldn't allow them to be seen together, not yet. Responsibility, always responsibility. Why were things so complicated all the time? She hated it; it wasn't fair. Her happiness always came at such a high price, one that she could never hope to afford. The fate of life as they knew it depended on Bubblegum and her experiment. If she could just finish the formula and synthesize the cure to old age, she could be with Marceline for so much longer than previously conceivable and remain herself. She could prolong the lives of her people, and she was so close to being finished, just a few more calculations…

"Marceline, how can you still love me?" Bubblegum choked out, all composure lost as she pulled her pink face away, hot teardrops dripping down her cheeks. "How can you still want to be with me, and love me, and touch me after all the pain I've caused you? After I've hurt so much? And I-"

"Stop." Marceline's voice was firm, and yet the princess's mouth continued moving, more words spilling forth from her lips.

"I-I hurt you so much. I betrayed you, I gave you no explanation, and I treated you so coldly. I don't deserve your heart, I-"

"I said stop it!" Marceline snapped, her eyes fierce as she grabbed Bubblegum's wrists. "Don't say that. Don't ever say that!" Bubblegum stared at her in complete shock as anger shown on the Vampire Queen's face, her blood red eyes holding her in place and stilling her tongue.

"I love you because you are _strong_, Bonnie. Loving someone like you isn't easy and I knew that from the start. But I didn't back down then, and I won't back down now, or ever. You're mine and I'm yours, and sometimes I may need to leave when you hurt me, but I will _always_ come back." A fresh wave of tears spilled from the princess's eyes then, and she closed them tight in a not so effective attempt to hold them back. The vampire growled softly and dropped one of her wrists, using her own hand and taking her chin in between her long fingers.

"Look at me." It was a command, and the candy girl found herself obeying it, forcing her eyes open as her hand was lifted up to the vampire's chest, spread out so that her palm lay flat over her still heart. "For what it's worth this is yours. It belongs to you. It always has, from the very first day I met you."

"I love you Marceline. I love you so very, very much." Bubblegum said, and the vampire had to blink her eyes furiously in order to keep from letting _yet another_ wave of tears from flowing down her face. Sniffing and wiping her eyelids with the back of her hand, she cleared her throat, holding Bubblegum tighter.

"C'mon, stop the waterworks, k? Hey, you remember that time you challenged Ash to a sword duel to get back at him over Hambo? Glob, that was like… the best day ever." Marceline laughed quietly. The princess made a funny sound, a choked laugh muffled by the vampire's shirt. "Or the time you took a bite of that apple I drank from? That was so funny."

"Blegh!" Bubblegum stuck her tongue out as she pulled her head back, her cheeks still wet and her eyes bleary as she laughed slightly. She looked so pitiful as she stared up at Marceline, so much so that the vampire took her face in both hands, wiping away the tears with her thumbs.

"Hey, why don't you go get cleaned up? I'll wait out here, ok?" The vampire suggested, kissing her forehead.

"Yes… that sounds like a good idea." Bubblegum muttered, nodding as she rubbed her own eyes and climbed off the bed. Marceline watched as she gathered her pajamas from her dresser and disappeared into the bathroom, the sound of running water reaching her ears a few minutes later.

"Oh Glob…" Marceline groaned, dropping her face into her hands. "This whole thing is just so emotionally exhausting." She rubbed her eyes slowly with her fingers, moving back to her temples and massaging them slowly. While the princess was busy bathing, the vampire went about lighting the candles and lamps in through the room, peeling back the blankets of the bed and lying down while she waited. She stared up at the ceiling, her arms behind her head as she started to hum a little tune to amuse herself. When Bubblegum finally came out, she was still damp and shivering a little, her skin glistening in the dim light.

"You ok, babe?" Marceline asked without thinking, sitting up. She felt herself blush then, biting her lip as she averted her eyes quickly and ran a hand through her hair. It had been a long time since she had called Bonnie 'babe'.

"I'm fine, just cold." Bubblegum answered, rubbing her bare upper arms as she walked to the bed. Cold? Marceline knew just how to fix that.

"C'mere." She said, steely gray hair sprouting all over her body while her jaws elongated into a muzzle, her body transformed into her garish lupine form. The large werewolf lumbered to the center of the bed, offering her a wide, toothy grin full of long fangs as leathery black lips stretched back. "I promise it'll be nice and toasty."

As if to convince her further, she patted a spot in front of her with one large paw-like hand, inviting her closer. Smiling, Bubblegum swallowed a tiny giggle as she walked up to the bed, climbing in as Marceline opened furry arms for her to crawl into, her thick tail thumping the bed as it wagged, like a monstrous, oversized puppy. She buried her face in the wolf girl's fur, which was surprisingly soft and smelled pleasant, the scent of Marceline's skin filling her nose and comforting her. Even though the undead girl's body didn't produce any heat, the thick hair provided insulation, bouncing the princess's own body heat back at her and warming her up effectively. Meanwhile, the werewolf just lay there, holding the other girl contentedly as her body relaxed little by little, slowly drifting off to sleep. She remembered the last time she had shifted into a werewolf in front of the princess, back when she was trying to teach her how to let loose and have fun.

_She was running as fast and hard as she could, Bubblegum riding on her back and holding on for dear life so as not to be thrown off. Her fingers were tangled in the werewolf's fur, nails biting into the skin underneath just a little. _

"_Marceline, are you going to tell me where we're going?" She yelled over the whistling air around them._

"_It's not… where we're going…it's….what we're doing!" She yelled back, her voice rough and gravelly, a bit breathless as she ran. How could she be breathless when she didn't even need to breathe?_

"_What does that even mean?" She yelled back, when suddenly the beast underneath her came to a skidding halt. Shrieking in dismay, the princess held on tighter, clamping her thighs around Marceline's ribcage so as not to be hurled several feet through the air._

"_Tonight…Bonnibelle…I'm going to teach you… to howl!" She said enthusiastically, despite her panting as that long, bright red tongue lolled from her open maw. The princess stared at her incredulously, her expression clearly conveying her distaste for such an activity._

"_You've got to be kidding me…" _

"_Nope, come on, over here." She said, grabbing her small pink hand in her large, rough paw and pulling her toward the rocky ledge overlooking the forest. "Now sit down, like this." She said as she sat back on her haunches, arms out in front of her. The picture it created was rather comical, a terrifying wolf-beast sitting like a dog in obedience training._

_"This...this is so stupid!" Bubblegum snapped, putting her hands on her hips and glaring at the wolf-girl._

_"Maybe, but it's fun! C'mon… just give it a try. For me." She said, smiling a very fangy smile, a mess of long, sharp teeth peeking out through black leathery lips. It was a rather ghastly sight, one that might've frightened anyone else. But in fact, it had come to be a rather endearing look on Marceline, one she could use to sucker the other girl into doing almost anything. Who could resist the puppy-dog eyes of a big, hairy canine monster?_

"_Marceline…" she said slowly, starting to waver. The wolf-girl batted her large yellow and red eyes._

"_Pleeeaaaase?" She begged. The other girl slumped in defeat, heaving a heavy sigh. _

"_Fine." She grumbled. "But you go first."_

"_You gotta sit down though, like this." The pink girl opened her mouth to protest, but just shook her head, sitting down on the ground beside Marceline in a similar fashion. The werewolf beamed happily, and then looked up at the moon, taking in its beautiful white glow and letting it coax the animalistic cry from her throat naturally. Her howl was long and beautiful, almost melodious, and was soon answered by another wolf, followed by several more until she was answered by a symphony of lupine voices. Bubblegum was a little dumbfounded by just how beautiful the call was, failing to mask her obvious surprise._

"_Now it's your turn." She said, looking to the princess, who cringed in return. "C'mon, you said you would..." With a heavy sigh, the princess inhaled halfheartedly and tilted her head back._

"_Ahoooo…" She said, then looked back to her girlfriend, who was glaring at her. "What?" She asked defensively. _

"_You call that a howl? No, again." She demanded._

"_What? No!" She flushed indignantly, only to be met with those wide yellow and red eyes again, pleading with her. Groaning, she closed her eyes and took in the deepest breath she could, then tilted her head back and howled again. This time, she actually tried, doing her best to emulate the sound Marceline had made when suddenly another voice joined her, their howls intertwining. She opened her eyes and looked over, falling silent as Marceline continued howling next to her. Then she paused and took another breath, releasing another cry into the night when the princess joined her again willingly. When they finally fell silent, Bubblegum looked over at her girlfriend to find her already staring back._

"_You're just so beautiful… I could just eat. You. Up!" She growled, pouncing suddenly and snarling playfully as she scooped the princess up in her furry arms, giving her a big wet puppy kiss across the face._

"_Augh, Marceline!" She shrieked, laughing and swatting at her muzzle._

Just when the vampire was about to fall asleep, she felt Bubblegum move against her, her voice making her fuzzy ears perk up and bright yellow-red eyes open again.

"Marce…?" She asked quietly. Marceline had thought for sure she was asleep.

"Yeah?" She asked, her voice rumbling out of her chest and throat, raspy and garbled like a growl.

"Would you sing me to sleep like you used to?" The question was so tentative and sweet Marceline let out an embarrassed cough, laying her ears back, thankful she had the fur to hide her blushing cheeks.

"Of course." She mumbled, transforming her body back into her normal self and clearing her throat lightly, her tongue snaking out to lick her dry lips. How long had it been since she sang a lullaby to her? It had to be seven years at the least since those sappy words had left her lips last…

"Hush little princess, Close your eyes, Drop off into dreamland and I'll fly you through the skies," She sang quietly, her lips a few centimeters from the shell of Bubblegum's ear. A smile touched the princess's lips at the sound of the familiar lullaby Marceline had written for her so many years ago. "Ain't no one gonna hurt you, Not while I'm around, Cuz I'll be there to catch you when you fall down. Hush my little princess, Close your pretty eyes, I'll still be here, Even after the night dies." As she listened, Bubblegum remembered the days back when Marceline had first sang to her.

_It had been a long day of studying from dusty old books, and the young princess found herself tired and lonely as she stared out of her bedroom window, the cloudy skies outside the same color as Marceline's skin. She felt herself frown as she thought about her friend; it had been a few days since she'd seen her, and she rather missed the vampire. She set her head down in her hands, wondering what the older girl was up to. Probably playing a gig somewhere with her band, the low, rich sounds from her axe bass vibrating through the air as her fans screamed with adoration, the vampire eating up the attention all the while. That thought made her smile just a bit. It was selfish of her to want the vampire there with her, while she read from some dumb, dusty old books that would bore her to tears. Heaving a heavy sigh, she looked back down at the tome laid out on her desk when an oversized sunhat was set down atop her head, two hands coming around her face and covering her eyes._

"_Guess who, little princess." A familiar voice whispered in her ear, the sound of boots touching down on the ground behind her sending a thrill right up her spine. She could feel the vampire's fangs nipping playfully at her gooey pink hair, and it had made her blush, her belly fluttering with butterflies; the vampire's rather obscure charm had been almost irresistible even back then. She whirled around in her chair, the vampire's hands falling away as Bubblegum turned to face the beautiful young woman behind her._

"_Marce!" She cried excitedly, all but throwing herself into the vampire's arms, her chair falling backwards and hissing the floor as small pink arms looped around Marceline's neck. She laughed, catching the princess and pulling her in for a hug, reaching up and thumping the glistening blue jewel at the top of her tiara with one slender finger. Beaming, little Bonnie pulled back and stared up at her friend's gray face and into shining crimson eyes._

"_Where have you been? I've missed you!" She exclaimed excitedly. _

"_You're just too cute, Bonnie." She chuckled, tucking a stray lock of gummy hair back behind her ear. "I missed you too. I've been around, ya know, hoola hooping in the fire kingdom, riding giant gold fish, playing a couple gigs with guys... Standard stuff, really. What've you been up to?" She asked, and Bubblegum let her go, studying her face carefully. She looked mostly the same as always, although she seemed sleepier than usual, small, dark bags hanging under her eyes._

"_Well, I've gone to a few royal meetings with Grandma. She's been teaching me a lot lately… And I've been reading too, studying all about zanoits! They're so fascinating!" She said excitedly as Marceline floated over to her bed, laying down on the mattress and patting the space next to her. The princess grabbed the book from her desk and all but pranced to the bed, climbing up and sitting next to the vampire._

"_So tell me about these zanoidy thingies." Marceline said, stifling a yawn and trying to look attentive._

"_You're not going to fall asleep, are you?" Bubblegum asked, one elegant little eyebrow raised as she looked down at the tired vampire, who let out a loud, unladylike snort, rolling her eyes. _

_"Of course not! I'm a vampire. I can stay awake for days on end, and go to sleep anytime I want." She sniffed, waving her hand nonchalantly as she spoke. Little Bubblegum then proceeded to talk about her 'zanoidy thingies', going into detail as she described every aspect of them to the vampire, who was desperately fighting the urge to close her eyes._

"…_And that's why zanoits are poisonous." Bubblegum finished, looking rather pleased with herself. Her friend stared at her in complete bemusement, one eyebrow arching slowly._

"_You really know how to entertain, don't you?" She asked sarcastically. _

"_What?" Bubblegum asked, blinking in confusion._

"_Nevermind." The vampire laughed._

"_Oh, can I read to you what I'm learning now?" The princess asked, suddenly excited. Marceline made a face, but held her tongue, nodding her consent. And so Bonnie began to read from her book, her voice calm and clear as she relayed pages worth of information to the vampire, when suddenly she came across a word she didn't understand. After a few moments of puzzling over it, she finally decided to ask for help._

_"Marce, do you-" She turned to see the vampire's eyes shut, her mouth slightly agape as she snored softly. Although offended at first, she couldn't help but smile after a minute, reaching out and touching the vampire's forehead, pushing that one stubborn lock of hair out of her eyes while she slept._

After an hour or so, Marceline rose up into the air above the princess, taking the time to study the sleeping girl and memorize how sweet she looked. She was so beautiful and at peace as she lay there, her eyes shut delicately, her expression so utterly relaxed. The vampire reached out to her after a moment, stroking that thick gummy hair and pushing it back off the princess's face, caressing her cheek in the process. Then, knowing she should leave before daybreak lest Bubblegum get mad at her, she took the sheets in her hands and pulled them up over the princess's sleeping body, tucking her in. When she was done, she turned away, floating towards the window to slip out into the night and make her way back to the cave where she lived, alone in the middle of the ocean.

"Please stay."

"But I thought I wasn't supposed to be here during the day…" Marceline said softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Forget what I said." Bubblegum mumbled tiredly, rolling over, her dark eyes opening just a fraction.

"Ok." Blushing slightly, Marceline floated back to the bed, settling back down next to the princess. She was shivering again, and so the vampire got under the covers and snuggled up to her, draping on arm comfortably over her waist as her palm cupped the tiny swell of her belly.

"You'll never be cold with me around, babe..." Marceline whispered, and kissed just below her left ear.

X

"So we have a deal?" The Lich hissed, the dim light eye his eyeless socket shining brighter than before, air hissing from between his teeth. The tiny man stared up at him with little white eyes, grinning widely.

"Why yes, yes we do. I will dispose of the princess as soon as the opportunity presents itself. The vampire is my only true hindrance." He replied.

"Good… With Bubblegum out of the way, no one will stand between me and the end of all existence. She is the brain behind the brawn of Finn, and all the others. Without her, this world, the universe, will fall…"

**A/N: So there isn't going to be another update until January because I'm going into surgery pretty soon and I'll be healing for a while. Enjoy the cliffhanger guys… ;)**


	6. Peppermint Butler

Disclaimer: Adventure Time is owned by Pendleton Ward. I make no profit from this story.

**Part 6**

**Candy Fangs**

_"You know you want me, Bonnie." Marceline purred, a smirk pulling at the corners of her mouth as she floated around the room, watching the princess write in her journal._

"_Is that so?" She asked, one eyebrow arching as she finished the sentence she was writing. _

"_Yeah, I do. You don't think I see the way you look at me?" Bubblegum laughed aloud, setting her pen aside and turning to look up at the other girl. The vampire paused midair when she noticed the other girl undoing the first few buttons of her lab coat, exposing the delicious, pink skin underneath._

"_And how exactly do I look at you, my dear Vampire Queen?" She inquired mischievously. Her glasses were still in place as she looked up at her girlfriend, her expression taking on a condescending edge. The vampire had never been so attracted to the geek look before, but Bubblegum could really pull it off._

"_Well…" She said, floating upside down, their faces an inch or two apart. "Just yesterday, I caught you looking at my butt when we were out taking a walk." To her surprise, the princess didn't blush. It was almost a little disappointing._

"_So you caught me, hmm?" She asked, kissing Marce's chin, then the underside of her jaw, working up to her throat. Marceline swallowed reflexively, her mouth suddenly dry. _

"_And…" She swallowed again, "And the other day, when I took you out to the beach and you kept eyeing me in my swimsuit."_

"_I couldn't help myself, you just looked so fantastic." She nipped at Marceline's throat, drawing her soft tongue over the two punctures in her skin, causing the vampire to shiver and let out a tiny moan. "You really are quite the catch, Marce." Bubblegum said, her voice soft and sultry as her tongue flicked along the hollow between the girl's collarbones, a shiver rippling down the vampire's spine. And then all contact ceased, leaving Marceline to float there as she realized her girlfriend had walked across the room to rummage through her dresser for pajamas. _

"_Hey!" Marceline snapped, a blush rising to her cheeks as she righted herself. Then a thought struck her; the perfect way to get back at Bonnie!_

"_You know, there for a while, I used to touch myself when I thought about you." She said, regaining her cool as she flew over to the other girl. Bubblegum froze, a nightgown clutched in one hand as blood rose up to stain her pink cheeks red. Delicious. _

"_M-Marce, that is so distasteful." She squeaked in shock, but the vampire just grinned._

"_What about you? Did you ever touch yourself late at night when you thought about me?" She asked, her voice thick and sultry. The blush in Bubblegum's cheek spread down her chest as she struggled for words. _

"_Why don't you tell me? You're the one who used to float outside my window at night while I was sleeping." She huffed finally, turning to face the vampire again. Marceline laughed, unperturbed. _

"_Some nights, not every night. Unfortunately I never saw anything like that. Although I do remember hearing you moan my name once or twice in your sleep…" It was impossible for the candy princess to blush any redder. "So what were those dreams about, my sweet, innocent Bonnibelle? Picnics in the forest?" She teased. "With the way you're blushing, I'd say it was something a little more…carnal. Care to fill me in on the details? I'm dying to know." She floated closer still when Bubblegum seemed to regain her composure. Marceline frowned in disappointment, thinking she had lost again as she started to drift back when a slender pink hand caught her wrist._

"_Well, if you really must know, Marce, I do recall one of many dreams I had about you quite vividly. I was here in my bed chambers actually, on a night quite like this, warm summer air wafting in through my open window when you appeared, like a leaf on a soft breeze. In fact, you were wearing the same exact shirt you are now." She said. Marceline, who was caught a little off guard, looked down at her shirt almost immediately; the band shirt from that night at the concert. _

"_You were drifting through the air, hovering over my bed where I lay sleeping when you lowered yourself down on top of me. I stirred a bit, but did not wake up, which seemed to please you as a smile touched your lips. You then pulled the blankets covering my body away, only to reveal that I was not wearing anything underneath." She went on, her voice soft and low, and so utterly sexy. She was reeling Marceline in like a fish in a hook, and she knew it._

"_Hey, if you were asleep, how'd you know I was there?" She asked, her voice cracking a little so that she had to swallow and lick her dry lips. _

"_Haven't you ever been a captive audience within your dreams, Marce?" She asked softly, her warm, sweet breath washing over the vampire's face. She couldn't seem to find her voice in order to answer, but that was just fine because Bubblegum didn't seem to require one, and went on with her story. "The look in your eyes as you stared down upon my body became positively ravenous then, your long forked tongue sliding along your lips hungrily as you lowered your mouth to my sleeping form, licking along the column of my throat. One of your hands moved upward to cup and carefully fondle my breast, your fingers worrying the tip of it almost to the point of pain…" She paused briefly for effect, Marceline's eyes so wide and eager that it reminded her of telling a bed time story to a child._

"_And you still didn't wake up?" She asked, sounding breathless. Bubblegum smiled, her eyelids lowered demurely. _

"_Not even then." She murmured. "As I watched this all take place in my dream, I could see it on your face just how badly you wanted to bite me. I suppose it should have frightened me, but it didn't. It was quite an alluring thought, to feel the sharpness of your fangs sink deep within the flesh of my throat, pulling hungrily at the bit of red residing within the pink pigmentation of my skin." Marceline was positively enthralled at that point, practically drooling at the thought of drinking from a more than willing Princess Bubblegum._

"_But you did not bite, for fear of waking me I suppose. Instead, you closed your mouth over my shoulder, right here," She undid a few more of the buttons on her lab coat, pulling it open and to the side to expose one gorgeous pink shoulder, gesturing to the smooth muscle between the joint of her arm and the base of her neck. "You were very gentle then, the hand that had been worrying my tip of my breast pausing to pull the blankets down further, exposing my lower half. You ghosted your palm over my stomach and hips, reaching lower and stroking the outside of my thighs instead."_

"_You're lying." Marceline hissed, narrowing her eyes. "You're just teasing me; you didn't really dream all of that. You're just trying to turn me on and leave me hanging." _

"_Teasing? How do you think I felt, Marceline? Watching all this take place and not being able to do a thing? No, it is the truth, every bit of it. I watched on as you touched my legs, your mouth releasing the flesh of my shoulder and moving lower to flick your tongue over my tip of my other breast. It was as if you knew I was watching you somehow, even though I lay beneath you asleep, as if you were aware it was all a dream… Then finally, you touched me where I so desperately needed you, discovering that I was quite ready for your touch." A soft noise formed in the back of Marceline's throat, a ragged little moan. Her entire body was aching with need for the princess not even a foot away, but she couldn't bring herself to touch her yet, not until the story was finished. Bubblegum smiled, knowing the other vampire was completely at her mercy._

"_I shifted in my sleep upon feeling your touch, a tiny moan escaping from between my lips as I slept on, growing restless. But even as quiet as the sound was, I knew your keen ears heard it, for the need on your face then became apparent, and you seemed to decide then that play time was over. I watched as you rose up into the air, bringing the fingers you had touched me with up to your mouth and pushing them past your lips, tasting them as you float seemingly away," The utterly disappointed look on Marceline's face almost made her laugh, and she had to clear her throat in order to keep from giving herself away._

"_But then you stopped, lowering yourself back down onto my bed once more. You settled yourself near my feet, pulling the blankets down past my toes as your eyes settled between my thighs. You let out a strange sound then, like a whine, from the back of your throat. Your hands reached out and took my legs, one in each hand, spreading them apart and lifting one to rest upon your shoulder as you moved your face closer, your breath washing over my most intimate place. That was when your tongue slid out from between your lips once again, snaking out to touch me, tasting me ever so delicately. It was then that I finally awoke, my eyes flashing open and looking down to meet your own. But you didn't stop, or even pause to explain yourself, your mouth enveloping me, touching me in ways I had never before imagined." The face blush on Marceline's face was fantastic, the cherry topping on her expression of pure desire._

"_I watched as you pleasured me with your mouth, again and again, my cries echoing throughout the chamber. I don't know how I didn't wake the entire castle with my cries of release, but then again it was only a dream." She finished, her face triumphant. She had won Marceline's little battle of embarrassment, by a landslide at that, because for several moments the vampire was left speechless, just staring at he princess._

"_So you see, Marceline, you should not try to embarrass me because as you see, I will always win." Bubblegum stated with a rather smug look on her face. She turned around and began preparing herself for her bath once more, when suddenly a very female body was pressed firmly against her back, arms snaking around her waist and holding her tight. _

"_You think you can just say a whole bunch of stuff like that and then ignore me?" The vampire growled, her voice positively bestial. Bubblegum squeaked as the vampire's tongue slid over her throat, wet and firm as one hand pulled at the hem of her shirt, nails scratching lightly over her belly. "I'm going to fu-"_

"_Princess?" It was Peppermint Butler's voice from outside the door of her room. Bubblegum froze and Marceline hissed, morphing into a bat and flying up to the ceiling, perching on a support beam and looking down at the princess as she struggled to regain composure, buttoning her lab coat back up and getting to her feet._

"_Yes, what is it?" She asked, her voice just a bit shaky._

"_Is everything alright?" He asked. "May I come in?" _

"_Oh no, everything is perfectly alright Peppermint. I was just uh, getting ready for bed is all. I promise that everything is just fine, but thank you for your concern!" She said in a rush, Marceline growling under her breath. Of all the cock-blockers in Ooo, Peppermint Butler had to be the most formidable. If there was ever a moment Marceline was about to make sweet love to the Princess, leave it to the stupid little breath mint to come along and ruin it. He deserved a fucking medal. She waited a few moments after the exchange between the princess and her servant before dropping down from the ceiling and flapping her wings to land smoothly on the floor, resuming a humanoid form once more._

"_Now where were we?" She purred, smirking as she pulled the frazzled princess's body against her._

"_Not now Marceline, not after we were almost caught!" She hissed, positively flustered._

"_Caught doing what? Talking dirty?" She said it as if it were the most childish, innocent thing in existence. "It's not like we were actually having sex, like I want to do." She grumbled as Bubblegum wormed her way out of the embrace._

"_Oh Marce, we shouldn't rush something as special love making. We have all the time in the world to share things such as physical pleasure. It's just… right now isn't the time, alright?" _

"_Hmph." She grumbled, crossing her arms and floating backwards with a pout on her face. Bubblegum giggled a little bit, peeving the vampire that much more._

"_C'mon… come to bed with me." She said, smiling as she removed her lab coat, revealing her bra and panties. Marceline looked up, her eyes hopeful, when she realized that the princess putting on her nightgown, meaning that all that would take place was a slightly more than friendly cuddle session._

_"I have to admit that I thought of doing stuff to you in you're a sleep before back when I used to slip in her at night. You are a fairly deep sleeper, you know." Marceline said later as they lay together in the dark._

_"You should have." Bubblegum said, followed by a soft giggle. _

"_Ugh. Weren't you going to take a bath or something?" She asked grumpily._

Bubblegum heaved a tired sigh, taking off her glasses and rubbing her tired eyes as she made her way to her bedroom, longing to crawl under warm blankets and shut her eyes for the first time in twenty four hours. The castle was dark for the most part, and very quiet, although she was used to it since she spent most nights late in her lab anymore, only emerging after everyone was asleep throughout her kingdom. Although it would be a little eerie to an outsider, the princess actually found it quite soothing in comparison to the usual hustle and bustle, no one demanding her attention or presenting her with bad news she really didn't have the time to attend to. Anymore, she was always tired, constantly working with little time to even think about anything that _didn't_ involve her notes, formulas or equations.

She turned the knob of her bedroom door, pushing it open and stepping inside, dim light from the hallway spilling inside and washing over the stone floor. She closed the door behind her, approaching her rather large bed, shedding her lab coat and letting it fall to the floor, too tired to bother with pajamas. She felt a bit of draft coming in, and glanced over at one of her windows, which was half open and letting the midnight air blow in and chill her. For a moment she considered walking over and pulling it shut, but apathy got the better of her as she went to her bed instead, peeling back the blankets covering her mattress. She paused when she realized there was a rather naked vampire lying there, her gorgeous gray body splayed out on peek sheets.

Marceline cracked one eye open when the princess paused, glancing back through thick dark eyelashes to try and catch a glimpse of the other girl. The breath in Bubblegum's throat had caught for just a split second, as she had already forgotten how lithe and angular the girl's body was. Sharp shoulder bones and hip ridges stood out under smooth flesh, the sleek expanse of the vampire's back facing her so that she could see her small but perfectly round butt, that long inky mane that she loved so much fanned out around her like a black halo.

A moment later, the bed shifted as Bubblegum climbed in, lying down next to her vampire and moving in close so that her chest pressed against a room temperature back. In response, Marceline wiggled a little closer, an unintentionally cute gesture that made the princess smile in spite of herself, feeling the vampire's bottom press against her pelvis firmly. Marceline smiled as well when she felt one slender, but rather warm arm drape itself about her bare waist, enjoying the feel of skin sliding against skin as warm fingers touched her lower abdomen. Although she had originally been hoping for a more heated response to her nudity, she would take cuddling just as well, and within a few minutes the princess was fast asleep, snoring lightly.

Marceline began drifting off just a little while later, her ruby eyes sliding shut and allowing the darkness to swallow her up. For a while she slept peacefully, warm and comfortable as she lay nestled up against the princess. But as she lay there, slipping deeper into unconsciousness, old nightmares trickled into her head, corrupt her peace of mind. It always began the same way, with her standing alone in the wreckage of the city, snow falling from the sky as she began to cry. She was alone and confused, and she didn't know where her mother or father were, or where to go. She stood there for what felt like forever, the tears rolling down her cheeks eventually freezing to her skin as shivers rippled down her spine. No one ever found her, leaving her to wander the ruin by herself as she lost all feeling in her skin, feet going numb. She went on and on, until she was completely lost in the dark, a symbol of desolation instead of comfort, the cold numbing her whole body until she was sure she was going to die out there, frozen in the snow. All those years ago it had been Simon who had taught her to take comfort in the blackness of night rather than fear it, and without him there to comfort her guide her to safety, she didn't know where to go.

And then there was Bubblegum, materializing out of the dark and appearing to her like a beacon of hope. Little Marceline ran to her as fast as her legs could take her, smiling for the first time as frozen tears thawed. But the closer she came, the stranger the princess looked, her expression distorting until it became apparent she was in pain. Her face began to droop, and then then drip, her whole body starting to melt right before the little girl's eyes. Mortified but desperate, Marceline kept running toward her, falling and skinning her knees as she reached out the princess as her flesh continued to drop from her bones, dropping to the ground in thick, gooey blobs. The little girl began to cry all over, this time in sheer panic as she cradled with princess's disintegrating body close, sticky pink flesh getting all over her clothes, skin and hair. The princess's lips moved wordlessly, her eyes wide and lifeless as one melting hand reached up to cup Marceline's cheek, sticky fingers trying to wipe away her tears.

The vampire awoke with a start, her body tense and sweaty as she blinked furiously, sitting upright and turning to look for the princess, who wasn't there. Panicked, she looked to the window for some indication of time, a thin ray of orange light peeking in through a space between the drawn curtains; it was late in the afternoon. Her stomach grumbled then, her guts all in knots as she got out of bed and began hunting for her clothes, hastily dawning and bra and underwear. When she fully dressed she went in search of the princess, cracking the bedroom door open and peeking out into the hallway. Finding it empty, she flew out into the corridor and began looking for the princess, heading down into the throne room.

"Bonnie?" She called, but the castle was empty. Skin crawling, she headed off in the direction of the lab, giving the door a yank only to find it locked. Bristling with annoyance, she wrenched on the handle, making the door groan, her sensitive ears detected a scuffle inside. "Bonnie, let me in!" She yelled, pounding on the door with one fist. "I'll break this door down if you don't! You know I will!" She threatened, and the scuffle inside intensified, the screeching sound of a table being dragging across the floor and glass shattering greeting her. Frustrated, she expanded her body in the form of a tentacle beast, flooding the hallway with writhing black limbs and busting the door right off the hinges, sending it off crashing into the room. She resumed her humanoid shape once again, eyes going wide as she looked inside. Princess Bubblegum lay crumpled and unmoving on the floor, some of the gummy flesh around her face and throat melted and oozing onto the floor, and near the window was Peppermint Butler, standing on a table and gasping as he clawed desperately at the wall, trying to escape.

At first she was stunned, standing there stalk still, eyes wide as she stared at the princess's body, her irises jerking up to the butler as she put two and two together. She flew into a blind rage almost instantly, thick hair bursting from her pores as she threw herself across the room, jaws snapping as she grabbed at Peppermint Butler. His little body became a red and white blur as he dodged her attack, the colossal beast smashing into the wall with a crash. Struggling back to her feet and shaking off the pain, she lunged after him again as he made a break for the door, grabbing hold of him and sinking long claws into his sides. Rows of sharp teeth gnashing and chomping furiously at the side of his head, leaving deep gouges in the hard candy, when suddenly she found herself knocked sideways. She sailed through the air and hit the wall just outside the lab, Jake standing over her with one fist blown up ten times its normal size, leaving her confused as to where he'd even come from. She saw Finn out of the corner of her eye, running at her full speed with his sword raised as Peppermint raced down the stairwell, trying to get out to the throne room and through the main castle doors. Letting out a roar of frustration, she punched the human boy hard in the stomach, flicking him to the side as Jake moved it for another blow.

"Get him!" She bellowed, her eyes wild as she struggled to right herself.

"Wha?" Dumbstruck, the dog turned to the fleeing butler, Finn pausing mid charge.

"He killed Bonnie!" Marceline cried desperately, scrambling to get up. She tore off down the stairs, her large body hitting the walls and claws gouging the stone steps, only to find the double doors were already wide open, the daylight outside reaching in a touching her, a hiss of smoke rising into the air as her fur and the skin beneath began burning. Almost totally blind as the sun's harsh rays touched her eyes, she launched out after Peppermint Butler, one hand reaching out blindly and swiping at his legs. In a stroke of luck her claws snagged the leg of his pants, and she yanked backwards with all her strength, hurling him back through the castle doors as her body continuing smoking. She dove back inside, gasping in pain as patches of fur continued smoldering, slamming the door shut behind her and blinking furiously to regain her eyesight.

Finn was on Peppermint in a heartbeat, hacking at him with his rusty sword and screaming while Marceline's body began regenerating, her eyes set on the little candy man. Snarling, the two of them went after Peppermint Butler together as he dodged their attacks frantically, hissing at them all the while. Just as Marceline was about to grab him again, Finn's sword inches from his head, Jake's body stretched out before them, wrapping tightly around the vampire and human boy, squeezing them like a constrictor as he wrapped Peppermint in a separate loop.

"Guys, hold on!" He cried as they all struggled, Marceline's fangs and claws tearing at him in an effort to get free. "Ow, stop it!" He yelped, squeezing harder, making Finn gasp in pain as their bones groaned under the pressure, effectively pacifying the vampire.

"Listen to me! This doesn't make any sense!" He said, releasing the pair but keeping hold of the struggling butler, whose blunt teeth were gnawing desperately at Jake's skin despite the fur in his mouth. Growling, the dog squeezed him tighter, maintaining his hold as he made his way to the lab, followed by Finn and Marceline. The vampire dashed to the princess's side almost at once, gathering the girl's limp body into her arms as Finn joined her, his expression both alarmed and confused.

"Wha-What happened to her?" He whimpered, reaching up and touching her cold cheek gingerly. He took a step closer, pausing when he heard the crunch under his foot, looking down and picking up a piece of broken glass.

"Isn't that a piece of her teacup?" Jake asked, stretching his neck out to inspect it. The two looked at it in confusion, when Finn's face turned bright red with rage, storming over to the loop of Jake's body imprisoning the butler.

"What did you do!?" He screeched, grabbing holding onto the already damaged sides of Peppermint Butler's head and shaking him. He hissed in returned, scowling back at him as Finn reared back and punched him in the face. It hurt quite a bit, considering he was made of hard candy, his knuckles bleeding a bit when he pulled back. However, the blow did what it was intended to, rendering the little man quiet as he blinked his white eye several times. Growling, Finn gave him another good shake.

"He poisoned her." Marceline interrupted softly, holding Bubblegum tightly against her chest as she stared down at the princess's lifeless face, her expression distraught.

"How do you know?" Jake asked, stretching out to her and noticing the shattered cup.

"It was in her tea." She whispered, surprising Finn. Walking back to them, he did his best not to look at the princess, kneeling down and dipping his finger in the cold brown liquid on the floor and bringing it up to his lips. He licked the tip of her finger and scowled deeply, hands curling into shaking fists.

"Zanoits." He said, recognizing the bitter taste from the time Ricardio had poisoned them, although he hadn't used a lethal dose. The other two remained silent, Finn taking one of Bubblegum's cold hands and holding it as he looked up at her face from where Marceline hovered, still holding her close as tears finally started to fall. The human boys sniffed, lowering his head and closing his eyes as his shoulders started to shake. Jake looked over the two with a sad expression in his large eyes, not sure who he felt sorrier for. When Finn happened to look up, he saw Marceline lower her head, eyes closed as she pressed a kiss to Bubblegum's forehead, even confusion filling his head as he turned to the dog.

"Oh man…" Jake sighed, reaching up and rubbing his head. Turning around, he stretched back to the detained butler just as banana guards arrived on the scene and shoved past them, the lot of the utterly confused and on the fight. In all but a few seconds, they turned on the vampire, about to spear her when Finn raised his hands, moving in between them and the undead queen.

"No, wait, it wasn't her. It was Peppermint Butler!" He said, confusing them even further.

"Peppermint Butler wouldn't kill the Princess!" One of them countered in frustration, taking another step toward vampire, who was ignoring all of them. Growling in frustration, Finn shoved him hard.

"Yes he did! Look!" He snapped, pointing at the broken glass and brown liquid on the floor. "He poisoned her!"

"Why would he do that?" Another questioned, making Finn pause.

"Yeah, why'd you do it Peppermint?" Jake growled in the butler's face, baring his teeth as the candy man glared back at him, silent. Finn wandered back to him, narrowing his eyes.

"If he won't talk, I guess we'll just have to beat it out of him."

"Or take him down to PB's torture chambers…" Jake suggested, making Peppermint bristle.

"If doesn't matter what you do to me, whether I live or die I _will_ rule over all of you, for I am destined to rule the Land of the Dead!" He shrieked, twisting in the dog's grasp.

"There's no way that's even possible, you idiot!" Finn snapped, throwing his hands into the air, to which Peppermint Butler sneered at him in response.

"In return for the princess's death, the Lich promised to make me king of the Dead World, replacing Death as its ruler. And once the Lich has destroyed this universe with all of its inhabitants, they will be under _my_ rule in the one place the Lich cannot touch." The room went quiet, a stunned silence settling over everyone.

"The Lich…?" Jake whispered. "But he's stuck with Prismo! He never came back through the portal!" Peppermint was silent at that, signifying he knew no more about the Lich's escape than anyone else did.

"This is bad." Finn muttered. "If the Lich is free and the princess is dead-"

"None of you stand a chance. Now that the brain behind the brawn has been removed, Ooo will fall into chaos and her work will go unfinished. Had she had much more time, she would have completed her life prolonging serum, but with her out of the picture her work will go unfinished." Peppermint cut in. Finn dove at him with a screech, Jake narrowly pulling Peppermint Butler out of harm's way.

"Wait, Finn!" He snapped, his expression frustrated. "I know your hurtin' right now, but we gotta be smart about this! If we kill him now and need him later, what would we do?" Finn frowned at that, turning away and crossing his arms.

"Someone should call together a council meeting." One of the guards suggested.

"No time for that." Finn said, shaking his head. "We need a plan, and fast."

"Here, take him to the dungeons. I can't think with him squirming around." Jake said, gesturing to Peppermint Butler as a couple of the guards came and relieved him. Without the murderer to apprehend, the dog shrank back to his normal side, sitting down and rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Get out of here guys, your just takin' up space." Finn said, shooing out the banana guards.

"What about the princess?" One asked, looking back to the almost forgotten vampire. She looked up at him, narrowing her red eyes and curling her upper lip, daring him to try and take her. "She should be examined by a doctor or something…"

"He's right." Finn agreed quietly, meeting Marceline's eyes. They stared at each other for a minute, when finally the vampire gave in, lowering herself and begrudgingly allowing the guard to take the princess's limp body away from her.

"I can't believe that… a life prolonging elixir..." She shook her head, anger bubbling inside of her all over again. She was sure that if she wanted to, she could break the butler in half before either heroes had time to stop her.

"Jake, do you remember that one time, with the Princess Plant?" Finn asked suddenly, his eyes going wide as an idea struck him. The dog turned to look at him, blinking slowly.

"Yeah, why?" He asked uncertainly.

"Peppermint Butler helped us by transporting us to the Land of the Dead. If we can force him to transport us again, we can save PB!" He said excitedly, waving his hands around.

"And then she can help us figure out how to defeat the Lich!" Jake yelled back, laughing and scooping him into a tight hug.

"I need to be the one who goes." Marceline said, surprising them both as they each turned to look at her.

"But-" Finn began, only to be cut short.

"Finn, I love Bonnibel more than you could even hope to understand... I have to be the one that saves her. If the Lich attacks, you two are going to need to be here to delay him. And well, Finn, you suck at instrumentals." She said, cutting her eyes down at him.

"Wha…?" Finn's eyes went wide as he stared at her, completely caught off guard.

"How'd you know about Death's music battles?" Jake asked in astonishment.

"I've been around for a thousand years, I know some stuff." She said simply. "I need to go back to my house and get my axe base, so get everything ready for me. And don't even think about going in before I get back, so help me." She growled, and looked to the window; night had fallen. So with that, she disappeared, flying as fast as she could back to her house in the cave.

There had been several times Bubblegum had needed her help after the break-up where Marceline had left her high and dry out of bitterness. The deer, the lich, Ricardio, numerous Ice King kidnappings... her anger had held her back from saving the princess, especially because she knew Finn was there to protect her. And in a way, some small part of her was jealous of the relationship Bubblegum had the human boy. The trust between them, that Bubblegum knew he would be able to save her under any circumstance, regardless of his life. But things had changed recently; Flame Princess, to be precise. And although she knew he would still willingly lay down his life for the candy monarch, he had a reason a new reason to live, and it was time she saved the princess and proved her willingness to die for her Princess.

"_There's only one thing in the entire world that scares me. Heck, make that the entire lumpin' universe." Marceline said, her head in Bubblegum lap, slender pink fingers combing through the masses of wavy black hair. _

"_And what would that be?" Bubblegum asked, looking down at the vampire fondly, pushing her unruly bangs out of her vibrant eyes. The vampire heaved a heavy sigh, averting her gaze. _

"_Promise you won't laugh." She said firmly, making the other girl pause._

"_When have I ever laughed at-" She began, her tone letting on that she was slightly affronted._

"_Just promise, please?" The vampire interrupted, looking up and meeting the other girl's eyes again. Something Bubblegum rarely saw shimmered in red irises, something small and vulnerable._

"_Alright, I promise not to laugh." She agreed, letting her hand rest atop her left thigh beside Marceline's head. _

"_The only thing I've ever been really afraid of is being alone. I've been there before, back when the Mushroom War had first ended… and I don't know what would have happened to me if it hadn't been for Simon. I mean yeah, I would have survived, but I don't know who I would be today, if I'd just be a soulless monster like my dad or an empty shell. But ever since I met you, that fear kinda changed..." She said slowly, bringing one hand up to cover her eyes so she didn't have to look at the princess as she finished. "Cuz now the thing that scares me the most is the thought of losing you." The last bit was mumbled, the vampire's cheeks turning red as she moved her whole arm up to cover her face. A few moments of silence passed when Bubblegum began pulling her arm away, pressing a tender kiss to the vampire's forehead. _

"_I mean… I've lived a thousand years without you. I've dated people before, had hundreds of friends but this is different. I don't know… I don't feel like I could go on living without you in my life, Bonnie. I've had so many nightmares lately, about losing you and I can't remember being so scared before." She sighed._

**A/N: Turns out I wasn't nearly as incapacitated as i thought I would be, so enjoy the update. Only two more chapters left!**** The sex in this chapter was fairly R rated in comparison to the others, so I figured it was safe to keep.**


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